'Punched him in the heart': wife of man, 82, killed in Greek sunbed brawl says beach was empty when attacker struck

From the Newshound archive · first published 20 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.

An 82-year-old man died of cardiac arrest after a sunlounger dispute at Vouliagmeni beach near Athens on Sunday, punched in the nose and chest by a 76-year-old who demanded his group give up their spot. His wife says the beach was largely empty at the time, making the attack all the more senseless. The 76-year-old faces a charge of causing fatal bodily harm, and a 21-year-old woman was arrested for complicity before later being released — her face bloodied and swollen.

The elderly victim's group had claimed six loungers; the 76-year-old and his companion had bought tickets for just two.

Beachgoers attempted CPR four times and used a defibrillator before paramedics took him to Asklepieion Hospital in Voula, where he died roughly an hour after arrival.

'I have never heard a woman's screams before — and all this for a deck chair,' a witness told Greek newspaper TA NEA.