A 60-year-old woman died on a beach in Aegina after waiting 55 minutes for an ambulance to arrive, according to reports broadcast on the MEGA television program “Eξελίξεις Τώρα” hosted by Anastasia Yamali. The incident has drawn widespread attention to emergency response delays on the island, where bystanders attempted to administer CPR for nearly an hour before medical help reached the scene.
Emergency Response Delays on Aegina Beaches
According to eyewitness accounts reported by MEGA, the victim lost consciousness after falling ill near the shoreline. Bystanders immediately initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in an effort to keep her alive. The emergency call initiated a frantic response sequence that ultimately took nearly an hour.
The ambulance required 55 minutes to reach the specific beach, despite a normal driving time of approximately 27 minutes from the local health center. Witnesses stated that multiple calls were placed to emergency services, including the local health center, the coast guard, and the police, as bystanders struggled to maintain resuscitation efforts in the absence of professional medical equipment or on-site lifeguards.
Eyewitness Accounts and Official Coordination Issues
An eyewitness interviewed on the MEGA broadcast detailed the breakdown in communication and dispatch times during the crisis. According to the witness, initial calls to emergency dispatchers yielded responses indicating a severe lack of available vehicles, with operators reportedly telling callers that they would “see what they can do.”
As the minutes passed, bystanders contacted multiple agencies simultaneously. According to the same eyewitness testimony, police and coast guard dispatchers eventually coordinated to send a patrol vehicle accompanied by a doctor. However, these units arrived approximately ten minutes prior to the long-awaited ambulance, even though the initial emergency calls had been placed at 1:00 p.m.
Frustrated by the delays, callers reported receiving dismissive responses from local health infrastructure representatives when inquiring about the tardiness of the vehicles. Witnesses noted that this fatal incident highlights ongoing systemic concerns regarding emergency response capabilities and medical staffing on the island of Aegina.
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