A climate-related mass die-off leaves over 100 tons of dead fish collecting at a Greek port

VOLOS, Greece (AP) — More than 100 tons of dead fish were collected in and around the port of Volos in central Greece after a mass die-off linked to extreme weather fluctuations, authorities said Thursday.

The dead freshwater fish filled the bay 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Athens, and nearby rivers. Water levels were swollen by floods in 2023, followed by months of severe drought.

The die-off has hit local businesses along the seafront, reducing commercial activity by 80% in the past three days, according to Volos’ Chamber of Commerce.

Fishing trawlers have been chartered by the regional authorities, along with earthmovers, to scoop the dead fish out of the sea and load them onto trucks bound for an incinerator.

The fish came from Lake Karla in central Greece, a body of water drained in the early 1960s and restored in 2018 to combat the effects of drought.

“There are millions of dead fish all the way from Lake Karla and 20 kilometers (12 miles) eastward,” Anna Maria Papadimitriou, the deputy regional governor of the central Thessaly area, told state-run television.

“Right now, there is a huge effort underway to clean up the millions of dead fish that have washed along the shorelines and riverbanks … an effort that involves multiple contractors,” she said.

Water levels rose abruptly in fall 2023 during a deadly storm that caused extensive flooding in central Greece, but have since receded due to low rainfall and successive summer heat waves.

The mayor of Volos lashed out at the regional authority, accusing it of acting too slowly, while the city’s Chamber of Commerce said it was taking legal action to seek damages after the sever drop in commercial activity.

Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece.

Follow AP coverage at: https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment

Tons of dead fish fill a river near the port city of Volos, central Greece, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Tons of dead fish fill a river near the port city of Volos, central Greece, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Tons of dead fish fill a river near the port city of Volos, central Greece, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

A bulldozer collects dead fish from a river near the port city of Volos, central Greece, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Workers collect dead fish from a river near the port city of Volos, central Greece, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Workers collect dead fish from a river near the port city of Volos, central Greece, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

A bulldozer collects dead fish from a river near the port city of Volos, central Greece, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Workers collect dead fish from a river near the port city of Volos, central Greece, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

GUWAHATI, India (AP) — At least nine workers are trapped inside a coal mine in India’s northeastern Assam state, officials said Tuesday, as authorities summoned the army to help in the rescue operation.

The miners were trapped on Monday morning in the Umrangso area in Dimapur Hasao district, some 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of the state capital, Guwahati.

The workers are “feared trapped 300 feet below the ground after water gushed in from a nearby unused mine. We are mobilizing resources to rescue them,” said Kaushik Rai, a local government minister who is monitoring the rescue at the site.

Authorities brought army soldiers and a national disaster management team to the area to assist in the ongoing operation.

Workers at the site said over a dozen miners had been trapped inside the mine, which has bare minimum safety measures, and that some miners managed to escape as water from a nearby unused mine began filling the mine.

In India’s east and northeast, workers extract coal in hazardous conditions in small “rat hole” mines that are rampant in the hilly areas. During the extraction, the coal is placed in boxes that are hoisted to the surface with pulleys.

Accidents in illegal mining are frequent and the livelihoods of those who do such mining depend on the illegal sale of coal.

This image provided by Indian Army shows rescue workers standing around a coal mine where at least nine workers are trapped, in Umrangso area of Dimapur Hasao district in northeastern state of Assam, India, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Indian Army via AP)

This image provided by Indian Army shows soldiers preparing their equipment to rescue workers who are trapped inside a coal mine, in Umrangso area of Dimapur Hasao district in northeastern state of Assam, India, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Indian Army via AP)

This image provided by Indian Army shows an aerial view of the site where at least nine workers are trapped inside a coal mine, in Umrangso area of Dimapur Hasao district in northeastern state of Assam, India, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Indian Army via AP)