Severe rainstorms trigger flooding in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, kills at least 7 people
At least five people have been killed in torrential rainstorms and flooding in Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria, including two people who were washed away when floodwaters swept through a camping ground in Turkey’s northwestern province.
Turkish Interior Minister also disclosed that four other people were still missing after the flash flood swept over the vacation site in Kirklareli province, near the borders with Bulgaria and Greece.
He revealed on the social networking website X, formerly known as Twitter, that search crews had discovered two bodies. He said, “The search and rescue efforts for the missing (four) continue uninterrupted.”
In Istanbul, heavy rain flooded streets and homes in two neighbourhoods, killing at least two people, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
About a dozen people were rescued after being stranded inside a library, while some subway stations were shut down.
In Greece, police banned traffic in the central town of Volos, the nearby mountain region of Pilion and the resort island of Skiathos as record rainfall caused at least one death, channeled thigh-high torrents through streets and swept cars away.
Five people were reported missing, possibly swept away by floodwaters.
Authorities sent mobile phone alerts in several other areas of central Greece, the Sporades Island chain and the island of Evia, warning people to limit their movements outdoors.
Several hundred holidaymakers vacationing along the coast have been evacuated to safer locations.
The rainstorms and flooding come on the heels of devastating wildfires that hit Greece over the past few weeks and left more than 20 people dead.
