Ιnvestigation ordered into Louros River eco damage

The Supreme Court Prosecutor's Office has ordered an urgent preliminary investigation into allegedly destructive environmental interventions in the Louros River in northwestern Greece.

The move came as the Regional Authority of Epirus, which undertook the controversial works in the river, has consistently downplayed the issue. These included widening and leveling the riverbed, removing vegetation from the riparian zone, and destruction of the unique habitat of the native trout species Salmo lourosensis.

Regional Governor Alexandros Kachrimanis was defiant on Thursday, denouncing environmental inspectors and the Natural Environment & Climate Change Agency (NECCA) that certified the destruction with their autopsies.

The prosecutor's probe order refers to two reports by Kathimerini that highlighted the issue in late November and the end of December last year.