Thunderbolts and fighting, ferry very frightening! Terrified passengers scream as huge brawl breaks out on Greek vessel, forcing the ship to turn around, when one passenger is asked to be quiet

Passengers aboard a Greek ferry were left terrified after a brawl broke out that was so violent, the captain was forced to turn it back around, leading to the arrests of more than a dozen people. 

The Golden Star Ferries Super Express, carrying 717 people from the Greek island of Tinos and heading for Rafina, was forced to return to shore after two men started scrapping partway through the three-hour journey. 

Local media reported that one man asked the other to lower his voice, leading to escalating tensions on Tuesday. 

Footage from the scene showed people screaming as objects were hurled across the deck. 

Men were stood on seats viciously throwing punches at each other as innocent bystanders tried to scramble away from the fight. 

Others can be heard trying to soothe tensions, but the brawling men showed no signs of stopping. 

Men were stood on seats viciously throwing punches at each other as innocent bystanders tried to scramble away from the fight

Footage from the scene showed people screaming as objects were hurled across the deck

Greece’s coastguard told local media that 14 people were arrested, three of them being children. 

Six were taken into custody at the port in Tinos, while the other eight were arrested onboard. 

While they were all later released, 11 of them faced charges of obstruction of public transport. 

Local media reported that a fake gun was found during the police’s initial search, with one passenger telling officials a second was onboard the ferry. 

Several 100-foot high wildfires are moving ‘like lightning’ through Greece, threatening Athens, while Portugal and Italy also suffer infernos as France and Germany are sweltering under a tropical ‘heat dome’.

Greece’s worst wildfires of the year have already killed one person and continued to burn on the outskirts of the capital Athens on Tuesday after the walls of flames as high as 100ft spread ‘like lightning’ due to gale-force winds, a fire brigade spokesperson said.

More than 500 firefighters backed by fire engines and waterbombing aircrafts have been battling the blaze that broke out near the village of Varnavas 20 miles north of Athens and torched homes, vehicles and swathes of bone-dry forest.

A drone view shows a charred forest area next to Lake Marathon following a wildfire, in Marathon, near Athens, Greece, August 14, 2024

More than 500 firefighters backed by fire engines and waterbombing aircrafts have been battling the blaze that broke out near the village of Varnavas 20 miles north of Athens

The blaze in Varnavas leapt from a wooded, hilly area into the suburbs on Monday, choking the city with smoke and ash and stirring panic in neighbourhoods that had not seen such a fire so close to the centre in decades.

It reached Vrilissia, around 8 miles from central Athens, a day ago, where one person was found dead, according to the fire brigade. The cause of the wildfire was not yet determined.

Winds were expected to pick up again later in the day on Tuesday and the country will remain on high fire alert until Thursday, with strong winds and temperatures forecast to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius.

‘The overall picture looks improved but there are still many fronts in various areas,’ said a fire brigade official.

Wildfires have been a common feature of Greek summers for years, but climate change has brought hotter weather and less rain, ideal conditions for large-scale fires.

The southern European country experienced its warmest winter on record this year and was on track for its hottest summer, with scant rain in many areas for months.