Truck crashes into three cars at Aktio-Preveza tunnel, eight injured including children

What happened

A serious traffic accident occurred just before 1:00 PM on Friday, 14 August 2026, at the entrance of the Aktio-Preveza undersea tunnel, in the direction from Preveza toward Aktio. A vehicle had broken down inside the tunnel due to a mechanical failure, and the traffic light at the entrance turned red to halt incoming traffic. Three passenger cars, carrying tourists from Italy, Romania, and a Greek driver, stopped in the queue waiting for the blockage to clear.

A truck driven by a Greek national, traveling in the same direction, failed to stop in time and crashed into the rear of the stationary vehicles with great force. The impact triggered a chain collision involving all three cars. Debris scattered across the road surface, and the three passenger vehicles suffered extensive damage, leaving responders amazed that the occupants survived. A local resident who was at the scene described it as "one of the biggest traffic accidents" and "a really big bang." Panic erupted in the tunnel, with small children crying terrified and drivers in visible shock, unable to communicate due to the language barrier.

The injured and hospital treatment

Eight people were injured in the collision: two Greeks (the Greek car driver and the truck driver), three Italians, and three Romanians. The Romanian car carried a 15-year-old boy, a woman, and a man. The Italian car carried a 14-year-old boy, a woman, and a man. All eight were transported by three EKAB ambulances to Preveza Hospital for medical examination and treatment. According to initial information, none of the injured face life-threatening conditions, with most suffering orthopedic injuries.

An Italian woman tourist, who had a cervical collar placed by rescuers, remains hospitalized preventively. She described her experience to Star channel.

I'm fairly well. I'm waiting for my husband, who has gone to the police to make a statement. I'm not sure how things work here, especially if you don't speak the language well, although I think there is someone at the police station who speaks Italian. I'm well, although I feel somewhat worn out. I was hurting everywhere, my neck was hurting too, but now I'm trying to recover.

A Greek-German passenger is also hospitalized due to temporary memory loss.

After the bang, I don't remember anything. I opened my eyes and found myself in the hospital.

Rescue and traffic disruption

Firefighters arrived at the scene with specialized cutting equipment to extricate the trapped occupants from the badly damaged vehicles. Traffic police and EKAB paramedics also responded. The tunnel entrance from Preveza toward Aktio was temporarily closed, causing vehicle queues stretching for several kilometers. The road also serves traffic heading toward Igoumenitsa, compounding the disruption. Traffic was gradually restored, though conditions remained difficult, with police urging drivers to exercise increased caution and follow instructions from authorities.

Mayor's reaction

The mayor of Preveza, Nikolaos Georgakos, described the accident as a tragic error by the truck driver. He noted that traffic lights are installed before the tunnel entrance and that drivers cannot reach high speeds at that point.

It was a tragic mistake by the truck driver. We cannot understand how it happened.

Georgakos added that such an accident is not justified at this particular point because there are traffic lights before the entrance and high speeds are not developed. He confirmed that the eight injured (two Greeks, three Italians, three Romanians) were transported to the hospital with injuries that did not appear to be cause for concern. Authorities continue to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident.