Zakynthos

Island municipalities issued the largest number of new building permits in 2023, with the top five comprising Lefkada and Zakynthos in the Ionian, Paros and Naxos in the Cyclades, and the Dodecanese island of Rhodes, according to the National Statistical Service of Greece (ELSTAT). 

A handwritten notebook with "Ode to Lord Byron" by Greece's national poet Dionysios Solomos underwent conservation at the Byzantine & Christian Museum in Athens.

A wildfire broke out on Sunday in the village of Kato Gerakari on the island of Zakynthos. Strong firefighting forces swiftly responded to the scene as powerful winds, reaching up to 8 Beaufort, swept through the area. 

Local authorities on the Ionian island of Zakynthos want to take over the management and maintenance of the iconic shipwreck on Navagio Beach, which has suffered extensive damage and is at risk of vanishing altogether.

Local reports say the wreck has been badly battered by waves and bad weather, especially during winter, while sand has largely covered the hull.

Passenger ferries will resume their schedules from Piraeus harbor after 5:30 p.m. as winds have moderated. The exception will be the flying dolphins plying the Saronic Gulf routes.

There will be no departures from Lavrio and Rafina, as weather conditions in the seas east of Attica are still unfavorable.

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit the island of Zakynthos on Thursday at 2.39 p.m.

According to the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens, the earthquake's epicenter was 31 kilometers southwest of the village Volimes in Zakynthos and had a 9-kilometer focal depth. 

No injuries or damages were reported.

About 150 migrants were rescued from overloaded sailboats provided by smugglers in two separate incidents Wednesday far off a western Greek island and off a Cycladic island near the Greek capital, the coast guard said.

Two rescue operations were underway Wednesday for migrants crammed on board sailboats, one far off the coast of a western Greek island and the other off the coast of a Cycladic island near the Greek capital, the coast guard said.

A wildfire broke out among low vegetation in the eastern coast of the Ionian island of Zakynthos on Friday night and is threatening homes, state-run broadcaster ERT reported.

The flames were in the area of Tsilivi, according to the Fire Brigade.

The Ionian Islands Region's civil protection have requested an evacuation order.

Five British nationals have been rescued after the polyester boat they were sailing on caught fire off the coast of Zakynthos.

The occupants of the vessel, which subsequently sank, were picked up by another private vessel and brought safely to shore.

One of the passengers, who suffered minor burns, was taken to a private clinic for first aid.