Death toll from floods in Greece rises to 14

The death toll from the floods that struck the Thessaly region in central Greece has risen to 14, according to reports from the firefighting teams. 

Additional bodies were discovered as the search and rescue operations continued without interruption.

Rescue teams found the bodies of an 88-year-old woman and her 65-year-old son near the town of Karditsa, where search and rescue efforts have been ongoing.

Firefighting personnel, in a statement, reported that a total of 4,250 individuals had been rescued and transported to safe locations between 7:00 AM on Tuesday, September 5th, and 7:00 AM on Sunday, September 10th.

According to the Civil Defense teams, five individuals remain missing.

In Volos, water supply remains a problem after pumping stations and a significant portion of the distribution network were destroyed during the storm. The Greek Ministry of Health has reminded citizens that "the water is not suitable for drinking" and issued recommendations for residents.

The storm, named "Danielle," was described by experts as a "rare phenomenon in terms of the amount of rainfall within 24 hours." 

It struck the Magnesia region, located 300 kilometers north of Athens, particularly its coastal capital city of Volos and the villages of Mount Pelion. It then reached areas around Karditsa and Trikala in Thessaly on Wednesday.

These adverse weather conditions come after devastating wildfires in Greece this summer, resulting in at least 26 deaths.

With Earth’s rising temperatures, the amount of moisture in the atmosphere increases (around 7 percent per additional degree), increasing the likelihood of heavy rainfall, leading to floods and other factors like urban expansion.

In neighboring Turkey and Bulgaria, which border Greece, heavy rains in recent days have resulted in the deaths of 12 individuals.



AFP