Rescue teams in Greece discovered the bodies of three additional individuals in central Greece on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 14 as a result of the country’s most severe rainstorm since records began in 1930.
Three people are still unaccounted for, according to authorities. Storm Daniel battered Greece for three days starting from Tuesday, marking the conclusion of the hottest summer ever recorded and leaving behind a trail of devastation following deadly wildfires.
Homes and bridges crumbled, roads and power poles were obliterated, animals perished, and crops in the fertile Thessaly plain were wiped out.
The bodies of an 88-year-old woman and two men, aged 58 and 65, were discovered near the city of Karditsa, one of the hardest-hit areas. Residents affected by the floods were being airlifted or transported in lifeboats.
To date, more than 4,250 people have been evacuated, according to authorities, with the primary focus on villages near the city of Larissa and areas close to the River Pineios, parts of which have overflowed, causing further damage to nearby villages.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was scheduled to visit the main operation center in Thessaly on Sunday evening, where he was expected to announce a series of relief measures for those impacted by the storm.
This deluge in Greece followed a massive wildfire in the north of the country. Scientists point out that Greece’s arid Mediterranean climate places it at the forefront of global climate change, with unusual weather events becoming increasingly common.
Across the world, extreme weather incidents have occurred in recent weeks, including floods in Scandinavia, southeastern Europe, and Hong Kong. India experienced its driest August in over a century, according to records.
