Six students airlifted from Mount Olympus refuge after sudden illness on school trip
A military helicopter evacuated six 17-year-old students from the Petrostrouga refuge on Mount Olympus on Friday following suspected food poisoning, transferring them to Katerini General Hospital.
Evacuation from Petrostrouga refuge
Six 17-year-old high school students from a private school in Thessaloniki required emergency evacuation from Mount Olympus on Friday morning, 2 October 2026, after falling ill during a school excursion. The teenagers were staying overnight at the Petrostrouga refuge, an alpine shelter located at an elevation of more than 1,900 metres on the mountain. Initial reports during the dawn hours indicated that five minors had developed sudden illness, though later operational updates confirmed that six students were affected. Accompanying teachers alerted rescue services at dawn when the pupils began to display symptoms of illness following meals consumed at the shelter.
Emergency response and airlift
The call for assistance prompted an emergency response involving both ground mountain rescue teams and aerial assets. Seven firefighters from the 2nd Special Disaster Management Unit (EMAK) and the Litochoro fire service mobilised and climbed toward the high-altitude refuge to reach the group. Because of the remote location and elevation above 1,900 metres, the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (GEETHA) provided a military helicopter to carry out an aerial medical evacuation. Rescue personnel prepared the teenagers for extraction at the mountain refuge before flying them down the slopes to safety.
- High school students develop fever and vomiting after eating at Petrostrouga refuge.
- Seven firefighters from 2nd EMAK and Litochoro reach the refuge as a GEETHA helicopter deploys.
- The military helicopter airlifts the students to the 24th Brigade helipad.
- EKAV ambulances transfer the conscious teenagers to Katerini General Hospital.
Transfer and medical treatment
The military helicopter transported the pupils to the helipad of the 24th Armoured Brigade in the town of Litochoro on Friday morning. At the military base, waiting medical teams from the National Emergency Centre (EKAV) transferred the teenagers into ambulances for road transport. The ambulances transported all six students to the General Hospital of Katerini in Pieria for medical assessment. According to medical observations, the 17-year-olds suffered from fever, nausea, and vomiting consistent with suspected food poisoning, while all remaining conscious during transit and upon admission.
