Victims were evacuated using an excavator in Larissa, Greece, on September 10. ELIAS MARCOU / Portal
The death toll from the floods that devastated Thessaly in central Greece continued to rise to fifteen on Sunday, September 10, according to fire officials. The body of a 42-year-old man was found by the coast guard in the sea in the Pelion region. The fire department said he was on the wanted list.
“A total of 4,250 people were rescued and brought to safety between Tuesday, September 5, 7 a.m. and Sunday, September 10, 7 a.m.,” Greek firefighters announced in a press release. According to civil protection, two people remain missing.
In Volos, water supply remains problematic as pumping stations and much of the water supply network were destroyed during the storm. “The water is not drinkable,” reminded the Greek Ministry of Health, citing cases of gastroenteritis.
The entire Pelion region is still affected by power and water cuts, while torrential rains have damaged the main roads. Firefighters continue to work on the Larissa frontline, where the Pinios River has burst its banks and the water levels on the outskirts of the town have risen dangerously.
More water vapor in the atmosphere
The storm called “Daniel,” described by experts as an “extreme phenomenon in terms of the amount of water that fell,” hit Magnesia, particularly its capital, the port city of Volos, and the villages of Mount Pelion on Monday and Tuesday. before it affected towns around Karditsa and Trikala on Wednesday. This bad weather follows devastating wildfires in Greece this summer that killed at least 26 people.
With global warming, the atmosphere contains more water vapor (around 7% for every additional degree), increasing the risk of heavy precipitation, which combined with other factors such as urbanization, leads to flooding.
In Turkey and Bulgaria, two countries bordering Greece, twelve people have died in the heavy rains of the last few days.