14 people dead: Severe flooding in Greece continues

Several people have now been confirmed to have passed away due to continued severe storms in southeastern Europe, affecting Greece, plus parts of Turkey and Bulgaria.

Heavy rainfall is causing catastrophic flooding in the popular holiday destinations of Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey. A low-pressure system, named Daniel, has reigned over the region all week.

Floods of water are making their way through the streets, sweeping away cars and people. In places, the water is waist-deep, transforming fields into lakes and entering homes, destroying livelihoods. As of Thursday, at least 14 people are confirmed to have passed away in the conditions.

The situation in central Greece is particularly severe. In the bay off the port city of Volos in Thessaly, some 400 people were temporarily waiting on a ferry that was not allowed to dock because of the storm damage.

Volos city itself is in a state of emergency. According to the mayor, electricity, and water supplies cannot be restored because it is too dangerous to get to the transformers, which are under water.

Due to the conditions, operations at the airport of the island of Skiathos, about 50 kilometres from Volos, did continue, albeit severely impaired. With access roads to the airport closed, several hundred people had to spend the night at the airport.

In addition, mountains of mud, dirt, and rubbish are piling up in cities and towns in central Greece while many motorways and train lines are closed.

Many roads and bridges are damaged or destroyed. Several villages cannot be reached due to landslides, and those within are disconnected due to a loss of Internet, cell phone reception, and electricity.

Meanwhile, in Istanbul, Turkey, the conditions also resulted in flooding. Here, at least two have passed away due to the floods in the aftermath of torrential rainfall.

Elevated sea temperatures have allowed Storm Daniel to strengthen and absorb large amounts of moisture, subsequently delivering an abundance of rainfall in a very short time. Severe storms tend to form in these regions only in November and December.

More rain and thunderstorms continue to form throughout Thursday evening. The heavy rain may cause further flooding and damage to infrastructure. In total, another 100 to 200 mm of precipitation per square metre are expected regionally.

The rain subsides nationwide from Friday evening as the storm low Daniel moves further south. Watch as this unfolds on the RainfallRadar.