A state of emergency has been declared in the Greek city of Volos, where hundreds of thousands of dead fish have surfaced in the water.

The fish that have surfaced originally lived in an inland lake that, like other parts of Greece, was struck by severe floods last year in 2023.

As a result, the lake grew three times its size, creating ideal conditions for the fish to reproduce. The result was a dramatic increase in the fish population.

However, due to fluctuations in the weather and less precipitation in recent months, the lake has been shrinking back to its original size, but this is not without consequence.

Thousands of fish have died and ended up in the river that drains water from the lake to the sea, right next to Volos harbour, along with any living fish too. However the freshwater fish also died in the salty sea water.

As of Friday 30th August, 100 tonnes of dead fish had already been taken out of the water, with clean-up efforts ongoing and deep concerns regarding impacts on tourism.