The famous Shipwreck of Zakynthos will be closed to the public this entire summer.
This is foreseen in the Official Gazette published by the joint decision of the Ministers of Citizen Protection, Maritime and Island Policy, Tourism and Climate Crisis, according to ERT. Based on this decision, access to the bay of Navagio, both by sea and land, is prohibited until the end of October.
Based on the proposal of Efthymis Lekkas, four ministers decided to close the Shipwreck.
The beach will remain closed to visitors as there is a serious possibility of landslides, as was the case in 2018 when 7 people were injured, while a landslide also occurred in September 2022 after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake took place between Kefalonia and Zakynthos.
On 2 October 1980, the coaster MV Panagiotis, ran aground in the waters around Zakynthos Island on Navagio Beach during stormy weather and bad visibility.
Some rumours claim the ship was smuggling contraband; however, official sources did not confirm this, and the captain was not convicted for such offences at the time.
Recently released court documents and photos relating to the incident back up the smuggler story, suggesting that Panagiotis was allegedly making its way from Turkey with a freight of contraband cigarettes headed for Italy.
Encountering stormy weather, the ship ran aground in the cove, where the crew abandoned her to evade the pursuing Navy.
After the captain alerted the authorities, 29 locals were convicted of looting the cargo and valuable equipment from the wrecked ship. The ship was abandoned and still rests buried in the limestone gravel of the beach that now bears the nickname Shipwreck.
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