Kefalonia is in mourning following the tragic death of Maria Lada, who fell at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos. The president of the disability association “Hyperion” described what happened at the Athens airport, while the issue of accessibility for people with disabilities in everyday activities was brought to the forefront.

The 67-year-old woman with disabilities arrived at Eleftherios Venizelos on a flight from Kefalonia. She was a founding member of the association “Hyperion,” and its president, Sofia Maropoulou, explained that Maria, “as soon as she arrived in Athens, boarded the small vehicle for people with disabilities as usual, because she had a small wheeled support attachment that she operated herself to function assistively, to support and help her.”

“And just before the arrivals area, where we usually all get off, the ramp could not properly adjust to the entrance of this small vehicle and left a large gap. Instead of calling technicians and others, the driver of the vehicle for people with disabilities tried to lift her in his arms—this is how I learned it from the family I visited at their home. He was helping her, but both of them fell together into the gap. In the end, yes, it is confirmed—the family told me—she suffered a very strong blow to the chest. According to some doctors, she suffered internal bleeding,” Ms. Maropoulou said on COSMOS 96.5, as reported by inkefalonia.gr.

Kefalonia Radio · COSMOS 96.5 – SOFIA MAROPOULOU (27-2-2026)

Maria Lada “remained fully conscious throughout the time she was transferred to the small medical unit at the airport. Amid the shock affecting Maria and her brother who was accompanying her, they were asked whether they wanted the police to be called or something else. Her answer was: ‘Let me first see about my health, and then we’ll see.’ At the same time, 166 was notified; they took her from there and transferred her to G. Gennimatas Hospital, where the examination procedures began. But gradually, the signs she herself was giving became negative, and around 12:00 she passed away in a very harsh death—through everything she had protested about all her life that needed to be done.”

“A fighter for her life and for all people with disabilities”

“Maria had a rare condition” and was “a fighter for her own life and for all people with disabilities.” “She fought enormously for her life, underwent countless surgeries at KAT Hospital and endured, while her brother, who had the same problem, did not want to pursue treatment for his health issues and died young. Maria was a true fighter. Just three days ago, she took part with us in the carnival parade—she was doing so well. She exercised, did Pilates,” Ms. Maropoulou said.

Three Questions on Accessibility for People with Disabilities

Earlier, the “Hyperion” association emphasized that “the loss of Maria Lada is not only a tragedy—it is a wake-up call of responsibility for accessibility.” Her death “cannot be treated as just another accident. It starkly highlights that accessibility is not a technical detail or a bureaucratic obligation—it is a matter of safety, dignity, and life.”

The association then stated that Maria Lada’s death “forces us to publicly raise questions:

• How safe are transportation infrastructures really for people with disabilities?
• How systematically is compliance with accessibility rules monitored?
• Who takes responsibility when shortcomings cost human lives?”

The association pledged that it “will not allow the memory of Maria Lada to be confined to words of sorrow. Her life and actions constitute a legacy of responsibility and of continuing the struggle for:

• meaningful accessibility in all public spaces
• safe transportation for people with disabilities
• institutional oversight and accountability of authorities
• real inclusion, not just formal declarations

We express our deepest condolences to her family. We commit that her struggle does not end here.”

“Maria Lada Was Not Only a Dynamic Woman. She Was a Voice Demanding That No One Be Left Behind”

Full statement by the disability association Hyperion:

The loss of Maria Lada is not only a tragedy—it is a wake-up call of responsibility for accessibility.

With deep sorrow but also a sense of responsibility, the Union for the Protection of Equality and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities HYPERION bids farewell to Maria Lada, a founding member of the Union and tireless defender of the rights of people with disabilities, who passed away suddenly in Athens following an incident at the premises of Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos.”

Maria Lada was not merely an active member of our community. She was a pioneer in the fight for accessibility, safe mobility, and equal participation of people with disabilities in social life. Through evidence-based interventions, public statements, and international presence, she demanded for years what should be self-evident in a modern democracy: safe, accessible, and humane public spaces for all.

She came to Athens from Kefalonia to speak at an international conference on rare diseases, continuing until her final moment her struggle for awareness, empowerment, and visibility of people with disabilities and rare conditions. A few hours after her arrival, she was injured at the airport and passed away suddenly, under circumstances that are under investigation.

This tragic event cannot be treated as just another accident.

It starkly demonstrates that accessibility is not a technical detail or a bureaucratic obligation—it is a matter of safety, dignity, and life.

Her loss compels us to publicly raise questions:

• How safe are transportation infrastructures really for people with disabilities?
• How systematically is compliance with accessibility rules monitored?
• Who takes responsibility when shortcomings cost human lives?

HYPERION will not allow the memory of Maria Lada to be limited to words of grief.

Her life and actions are a legacy of responsibility and of continuing the struggle for:

• meaningful accessibility in all public spaces
• safe transportation for people with disabilities
• institutional oversight and accountability of authorities
• real inclusion, not just formal declarations

We express our deepest condolences to her family.

We pledge that her struggle does not end here.

Maria Lada was not only a dynamic woman.

She was a voice demanding that no one be left behind.

And that voice will continue to be heard through us.

An extraordinary board meeting will be held to decide how to bid her farewell, to assign responsibility to those found to be at fault, to support her family and all people with disabilities—members of HYPERION—who loved and deeply admired her.

With Deep Sorrow

The President
Sofia Maropoulou Zafeiratou

The General Secretary
Sofia Laskoudi