A British tourist has died in an accident on the Greek island of Zakynthos after the quadbike he was riding rolled over and crushed him.
Scots-born Ryan Bennet, 19, died in the early hours of Friday. Liam Cassels, a passenger, also 19, sustained minor injuries.
Greek police said the incident occurred at 2.30am in the Alikanas resort area. A spokesperson said: “It appears the victim lost control, although why that happened we do not know.”
The teenager was rushed to the island’s general hospital, where officials say he was pronounced dead. His body was expected to be transferred to Patras, the nearest city in western Greece, for a postmortem examination.
Police said toxicological tests would be conducted, and that both teenagers were wearing helmets. “What is certain is that no other vehicle was involved.”
Greek authorities said traffic police on Zakynthos were leading the inquiry. “From what we know the bike was not being driven at high speed and it appears to have been an accident,” said one source. “These are dangerous machines.”
Quad bike road incidents are not uncommon in a country where, as of last year, Britons account for the largest number of foreign arrivals. Zakynthos, like other Ionian isles, are perennial favourites, with resort areas being especially popular among younger revellers drawn to their party scene. About 4.5 million UK travellers visited Greece in 2022, nearly 3 million more than in 2021, and outnumbering Germans for the first time, according to Greece’s central bank.
While authorities said there was no immediate sign the vehicle had overturned because of reckless driving, the tragedy has underscored the dangers associated with quad bikes in tourist resorts. “They look steady because they have four wheels, but if the driver is inexperienced they’re easy to roll over,” said Manos Brouzas at the Athens-based Road Safety Institute Panos Mylonas. “They’re used primarily in the summer on islands and there has long been a debate over whether they should be banned.”
Brouzas said islands were more dangerous than the Greek mainland because the road infrastructure was poorer and safety drills were inadequate. “Island roads are often windy, narrow and dark, and then there is the problem of animals that suddenly appear. Tourists need to be better informed about what to expect and what to watch out for when driving around them. Safety measures need to be improved.”
Greece has one of the highest road fatality rates in Europe, despite the death toll coming down over the past decade. Motorbike fatalities, at 36%, are twice as high as elsewhere on the continent. Quad bikes are considered more dangerous than other vehicles because they are heavy and “difficult to control”.
The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) has frequently urged travellers to avoid quad bikes, citing reports of tourist injuries and deaths.
