No major storm damage found during Samaria Gorge checks

Inspectors visiting the Samaria Gorge, a national park and popular tourism destination in southwest Crete, found no major damage to the site in the wake of the storms that battered the Aegean island late last month.

Regional authorities said that the three officials, who made their way into the snow-covered gorge through the northern entrance at Xyloskalo, had until Tuesday covered almost half of the 16-kilometer trail, spending the night in the deserted village of Samaria.

They were expected to reach the coastal village of Aghia Roumeli on Wednesday.

The gorge is closed from October to April, when bad weather makes some sections too dangerous to traverse.

A 61-year-old livestock farmer died on February 25 after his car was swept away in a flood caused by stormy weather that damaged buildings and infrastructure across the island.