A 59-year-old driver was killed Sunday after his car veered off a mountain road and plunged into a ravine about 300 meters (nearly 1,000 feet) deep in central Greece, authorities said.
The fatal crash occurred on Feb. 8 on a rural road in the Evrytania region, a mountainous area known for its steep terrain. Under circumstances that remain unclear, the vehicle left the roadway and fell into the gorge.
The victim, a local resident who was driving the car, died in the crash. The accident happened a short distance from a historic monastery in the area.
Emergency services launched a large rescue and recovery operation at the scene. Firefighters, police, and ambulance crews responded, but efforts were complicated by the rugged and hard-to-reach landscape.
A total of 31 firefighters took part in the operation, including a specialized disaster response unit and a drone team that assisted in locating the vehicle. Rescuers eventually found the driver unconscious and recovered him from the ravine. An ambulance crew then took custody of the victim.
Traffic police are investigating the exact causes and circumstances of the crash.
