Floods in Greece: death toll rises to 10, number of missing "unknown"

The death toll from Cyclone Daniel and the resulting floods in Greece has risen to 10, Civil Defense Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Friday afternoon.

Among the victims are 3 men and 7 women who died in Volos, Pelion in Magnesia, as well as in Ellinopyrgo, Palamas, Astritsa and Maratea as a result of floods in central Greece.

Referring to rumors of a large number of dead and missing, Kikilias said it was “fake news” and said there were four missing, including a newlywed from Austria, who went missing last Tuesday.

Earlier Friday, the number of missing people rose to seven after a man’s body was recovered from the sea off the island of Anavros in Volos, central Greece. A well-known businessman in Volos, 69, went missing on Thursday evening when he went to draw water from a fountain in Anavros, as the city remains without water supply after Storm Daniel earlier in the week. He reportedly lost his balance and fell into the sea, where he drowned.

In addition, on Friday, the body of an elderly woman was found in the village of Maratea, and the bodies of two women were found in two different houses in Palamas. The body of a fourth woman was also found on Friday on the beach of the Virgin near the village of Liri in the southeast of Pelion. Meanwhile, the search continues for a 42-year-old man who disappeared in Volos on Tuesday.

Missing

The number of “missing” as a result of the flood remains practically “unknown”, since at least six villages with a population of about 6 thousand people were under water on the plain of Thessaly (Central Greece).

Satellite image of flooded areas in the Thessalian Plain, where, according to the Athens National Observatory, 750 thousand hectares are flooded.

Hundreds of one- and two-story houses remain underwater on the plain, as in the village of Metamorfosi below.

H εκταση της καταστροφής στην Μεταμόρφωση είναι ασύλληπτη. Απο πού να ξεκινήσεις και πού να τελειώσεις τη διάσωση. Πώς ειναι δυνατόν να γλιτώσανε αυτοι οι άνθρωποι και πόσοι απο αυτούς? Πώς έφτασε τόσο νερό στο χωριό? #Καρδίτσα #κακοκαιρια #πλημμυρες pic.twitter.com/KRR4GBjZ3n

— -`🦊´- @alepouda (threads) (@alepouda) September 7, 2023

According to official data, 3 people are missing in the village of Palamas, Skai TV reported, citing the mayor, adding that there is information that 2 more people are in a neighboring village.

Speaking to ANT1 this morning, the mayor of Palamas said houses had collapsed and the death toll could rise. “No one knows how many people are missing,” the governor of the Thessaly region, who has held the post for 11 years, told reporters on Friday.

Flood on the Pinios River

As flooding develops in the area and the main Pinios river overflows, residents of several villages and areas of Larissa located near the river were ordered to evacuate on Friday.

The suburb of Agios Thomas in Larissa is already flooded, state news agency amna reported.

In areas of Thessaly affected by flooding as a result of unprecedentedly difficult weather conditions, the fire service and the armed forces are continuing rescue efforts by air and boat.

📌 Χθεσινή εικόνα διάσωσης υπερήλικης στα Μεγάλα Καλύβια Τρικάλων απο κατοίκους.

‼️ Για τρίτη ημέρα αποκλεισμένο το χωριό. «Πήραν με βάρκες μόνο κάποιους με προβλήματα υγείας, οι υπόλοιποι χωρίς νερό, χωρίς φαγητό, χωρίς ρεύμα», καταγγέλλει αναγνώστρια στο NEWS 24/7.… pic.twitter.com/q1ort5Byw7

— NEWS 24/7 (@News247gr) September 8, 2023

State broadcaster ERT reported that relatives of people caught up in the disaster zone went there to search for their loved ones.

Some media reported on Thursday that there was no record of anyone rescued. The number of people awaiting rescue on roofs and upper floors is also unknown.

According to the fire service, 149 air rescues were carried out between early Friday and 11 a.m. In particular, 93 were carried out by the Air Force and 56 by the fire service.

In total, 1,881 rescues have been carried out so far – the evacuation of people taken to safe places, and from Tuesday, September 5, until today at 6:30 a.m., the fire service operations center received 6,406 calls, mainly for pumping water, trimming trees and transporting people to safe places. places.

History repeats itself year after year

In 2020, Karditsa, like in previous years, also experienced flooding. In the same year, 143 million euros were allocated for flood protection work. The work was carried out through the mediation of the then Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection of Greece, Christos Stylianides, and was ordered and carried out by the Ministry of Infrastructure by TERNA.

The results are clear.

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