On Saturday night, around 11pm, the Mykonos Police Sub-Division received a threatening email stating that a bomb had been planted in four well-known beach bars on the island. This news caused great uproar and panic, leading to an immediate and extensive police mobilization.
As soon as the threatening email was received, an alarm was raised. Police authorities immediately informed the managers of the four stores, instructing them to turn off the music and ask people to leave in a calm and orderly manner. The evacuation operation was carried out with complete calmness, despite the initial concern of those present.
Watch video: The moment of the evacuation
The situation was particularly tense in the Paranga area, where two of the four beach bars mentioned in the threatening email operate. At the time, about 4,000 tourists were enjoying themselves, which made evacuation even more difficult. The heavy traffic of vehicles carrying customers from the beach bars caused a traffic jam on half of the island’s roads.
It should be noted that among the thousands of tourists enjoying themselves was famous actor Matt Damon who remained calm and smiling during the evacuation operation.
One of the owners of a well-known beach bar, where a large event with thousands of people was taking place, told protothema.gr: “As soon as we were alerted by the police, we immediately turned down the music and calmly led people to the exit. It was a difficult situation, but we managed to maintain order.”
Hoax email
After thorough checks by police authorities, it turned out that the threat was a hoax. Nevertheless, the mobilization of the authorities and the coolness of the beach bar managers demonstrate the preparedness and effectiveness of crisis management in such situations.