VOLOS, Greece — More than 100 tons of dead fish were collected in the port of Volos in central Greece and its surroundings after a mass mortality event caused by extreme climate fluctuations, authorities said on Thursday.

The dead freshwater fish filled the bay, 320 kilometers north of Athens, and surrounding rivers after water levels rose sharply last year due to flooding and subsequent months of severe drought.

The deaths have also hit local businesses along the seafront hard; according to the Volos Chamber of Commerce, business activity has dropped by 80 percent in the last three days.

Regional authorities have chartered fishing vessels and dredgers to scoop up the dead fish from the sea and load them onto trucks that will take them to an incineration plant.

The fish came from Lake Karla in central Greece, a body of water that was drained in the early 1960s and restored in 2018 to counteract the effects of a drought.

“From Lake Karla to 20 kilometers east there are millions of dead fish,” said Anna Maria Papadimitriou, deputy regional governor of the Central Thessaly region, on state television.

“There is a major effort underway to recover the millions of dead fish that have washed up on the shores and river banks… several contractors are involved in this operation,” she said.

Water levels rose abruptly last autumn during a severe storm that caused major flooding in central Greece, but have since fallen due to low rainfall in the following months and several heatwaves this summer.

The mayor of Volos sharply attacked the regional authority, accusing it of acting too slowly. The city’s Chamber of Commerce said it had taken legal action for damages after commercial activity fell by an estimated 80 percent in the past three days.

“Businesses along the seafront, especially in the catering sector, are now ceasing operations,” the chamber said in a statement. “A strong stench along the seafront is repulsive to both residents and visitors … and deals a serious blow to tourism in Volos.” ___ Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece

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