Α young man on the island of Crete found a tragic death when he shot in the air following the dangerous custom of μπαλωθιές to express joy at his cousin engagement celebration.
The 25-year-old man was fatally injured when he fired shots in the air, the bullets cut a power cable and he was electrocuted.
Speaking to website newsit.gr, the Mayor of Sfakia, Manousos Chiotakis,said that the victom shot twice in the air, the bullets cut a PPC cable that fell on some twigs and they caught fire. He stepped on the branches to put out the fire.
However, he also threw water on the branches and stepped on the wet cable.
He was electrocuted and died on the spot..
The tragic incident took plane in the area of Fragokastello in Sfakia Sunday midnight.
Μπαλωθιές are the celebration gunshots that are fired by people in the island of Crete, while they celebrate weddings, baptisms, engagements etc. they often occur in injuries and deaths and yet it is tolerated by local authorities even though it is forbidden.
“…yet it is tolerated by local authorities even though it is forbidden.”
In my experience it is more than tolerated – the police are often the first to be firing their guns in the air? I’ve been to weddings and baptisms all over mainland Greece from Macedonia to the Peloponnese and this only seems to happen on Crete.
This is what I read in other newspapers: “”This is not a custom. Families have been destroyed and we are talking about a custom”, said the Mayor, even mentioning that actions and campaigns are being carried out in order to stop this specific “custom” which has plunged Crete into mourning several times.”
We live in Sfakia 6 months a year, and we never noticed any action or campaign in order to stop this “custom”. I can assure you that the local police does nothing against it, they are afraid of people who carry guns and try to be friends with them.
Greece is this country where rules and laws are only in theory. Something has to happen and then people wake up. This is just another example. Most probably soon we will face more.
well, it’s a fact, fooling around with electricity can be deadly.