ATHENS, Aug 16 (Balkan View) – The death of a 17-year-old Irish teenager who was electrocuted while taking a shower on the Greek island of Kimolos has triggered calls for tighter electrical safety checks at tourist accommodation, as police investigate the property’s wiring and water heater.
Alex McKee, from Cork, died on Aug. 9 after picking up a showerhead in what was described as an “outdoor and rudimentary” bathroom at a family holiday home, according to The Guardian.
McKee had been on Kimolos for only about three days. His family regularly visited the island, the birthplace of his mother, Iphigenia, and stayed at the same stone house, which was built more than 50 years ago.
Agapitos Xanthis, a doctor on Kimolos, said the teenager’s mother also felt an electrical surge when she went to help her son.
“We are lucky there weren’t two deaths as a result of electrocution,” Xanthis told Greek television, according to The Guardian. He said he instructed her to immediately switch off the mains electricity.
A postmortem conducted at a hospital in Piraeus determined that McKee died from electrocution.
Police investigate wiring and water heater
Greek police have cordoned off the house and are investigating whether a problem with the water heater or electrical wiring caused the teenager’s death.
An officer based on the island of Syros told The Guardian that authorities had requested an independent expert to inspect the electrical installation.
“It is thought the fusebox may not have had a safety valve,” the officer said.
The case has attracted wider attention in Greece because of questions over electrical safety standards at properties used as seasonal tourist accommodation, particularly on the country’s islands.
Greece’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, with millions of foreign visitors staying in hotels, holiday homes and short-term rental properties each year.
Mayor who certified installation comes under scrutiny
The investigation took another turn after it emerged that Kimolos Mayor Konstantinos Vendouris, who is also a professional electrician, had signed the property’s electrical installation certificate in 2024.
Police are also examining that document, according to The Guardian.
Vendouris said the death had shocked Kimolos, an island with a population of fewer than 1,000 people.
The teenager’s family has indicated that it intends to pursue legal action.
“The current mayor faces huge criminal responsibility,” family lawyer Stelios Voudouris told Greece’s Open TV.
No finding of criminal responsibility has been announced, and the investigation remains under way.
Award-winning young student
McKee was a fifth-year student in Cork and had attracted recognition in Ireland after working with two classmates to develop an innovative communication system for people with nonverbal autism.
Irish politician Colm Burke, a Fine Gael representative for Cork North-Central, described his death as a tragedy.
“It is extremely sad to hear that someone so young has died so tragically,” Burke said, adding that McKee was “a really talented young person with his whole life and huge career ahead of him”.
The teenager had participated earlier this year in Ireland’s Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition and received an award for his work.
The investigation into his death is now focusing not only on what went wrong inside the Kimolos property but also on whether existing safety procedures were sufficient to prevent such a tragedy.