Vaggelis Kousioras/AP
Floods inundated houses and farms in the village of Kastro near Larissa in the Greek region of Thessaly, September 7, 2023.
CNN –
More than 800 people have been rescued from severe flooding in Greece in the past two days, local officials said, after extreme rains turned roads into deadly rivers, demolished buildings and bridges and flooded entire villages.
The rainstorms also hit neighboring Bulgaria and Turkey, claiming at least 16 lives in all three countries, including six in Greece.
Greece’s Thessaly region, the country’s agricultural center, was hit hardest by what government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called “the largest flooding phenomenon our country has ever experienced.”
The port city of Volos, the surrounding mountainous area of Pelion and the towns of Karditsa and Trikala were among the worst affected areas.
According to the Greek Meteorological Service, the rain has been going on for days but is expected to become lighter from Thursday afternoon. Rescue operations are currently underway to try to reach people stranded by floods that are more than two meters (6.5 feet) high in some parts of the country.
Videos published by Greek news agencies and on social media showed how residents of villages near the town of Karditsa were forced to flee to safety through floodwaters after their homes were inundated. Other villagers were seen climbing onto their roofs – the only part of their homes not under water – to call for help.
Stamos Prousalis/Portal
Firefighters are seen on a collapsed bridge in the village of Kala Nera in central Greece on September 7, 2023.
Five villages near Karditsa have been completely cut off by the floods and at least six people are missing, Greek Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias told reporters on Thursday.
“The villages of Proastio, Agia Triada, as well as the villages of Palamas, Megala Kalyvia and Kalogriana are blocked, the water is at high altitude and superhuman efforts are being made to approach the residents and free them,” Kikilias said.
Kikilias said 885 people had been rescued in the past two days. The pace of evacuation efforts was affected by the severity of the downpour, Kikilias said.
“I want to assure you that there are no means, no measures and no efforts that could or can be made to evacuate more quickly and safely the people who have been suffering for 48 hours, which has not been done,” he said.
Kikilias added that rescue teams with hundreds of personnel are working to evacuate those stranded by the floods, with helicopters being used to help those who cannot reach the boats.
Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Residents stranded in Larissa are rescued by inflatable boats, September 6, 2023.
Government spokesman Marinakis told reporters that the fire department had received more than 5,000 calls for help. The Greek army is supporting the rescue efforts.
Police have banned civilians from driving in several parts of Thessaly after floodwaters were seen sweeping cars off the roads.
Marinakis said that in the Attica region, where the country’s capital Athens is located, almost three times the average annual rainfall fell in 12 hours.
The severe flooding came just days after a deadly two-week wildfire in the north of the country that killed at least 18 people.
While it is difficult to attribute individual events to climate change without scientific analysis, scientists are clear that the climate crisis is accelerating extreme weather events.