Eastern Greece is grappling with the devastating aftermath of torrential rains, with at least one person confirmed dead and a shepherd missing in the wake of the deluge. The country has been enduring weeks of relentless wildfires, and the recent heavy rainfall has compounded the challenges faced by authorities.
The victim of the downpour appeared to have been swept away by floodwaters, while the missing shepherd’s whereabouts remain a cause for concern, according to government spokesman Yannis Artopios, who relayed the information to the public broadcaster ERT.
Despite the grim news of the fatality, officials did bring a glimmer of hope by announcing that firefighters had successfully brought under control the wildfire that had raged for weeks in Dadia national park.
“Storms and heavy rains were hitting Tuesday,” reported Artopios, adding that the deceased individual was found in the Magnesia region of central Greece. The rainfall has been nothing short of staggering, with Volos, the regional capital, experiencing approximately 200 millimetres (about eight inches) of rain, while the neighbouring village of Zagora saw a staggering 600 millimetres.
The excessive rain led to flooding in various areas, including the basement of Volos hospital. Firefighters are working diligently to pump out the water and mitigate further damage, Artopios confirmed.
Meteorologist Panagotis Giannopoulos revealed that “the amount of water that fell in 24 hours is the same as the usual rainfall for the whole of autumn,” underscoring the extraordinary nature of the deluge.
In response to the severe weather conditions, Greek police have imposed travel bans to certain regions, including Volos, select villages on Pelion, and the nearby island of Skiathos, where flooding has disrupted airport operations. Savvas Karagiannis, spokesperson for Fraport, the German company that manages Greece’s regional airports, noted that “planes cannot approach the airport” due to the flooding, resulting in extensive delays in airport connections.
The National Meteorological Service (EMY) issued warnings of adverse weather conditions that may affect the country until Thursday, prompting authorities to remain on high alert.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the situation as “an extreme phenomenon” during a meeting with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
This recent onslaught of rain comes on the heels of a summer plagued by fierce wildfires that have ravaged Greece. A massive blaze, categorised as a “megafire,” had been burning in Dadia national park for over two weeks, destroying more than 81,000 hectares (approximately 200,155 acres) of forested land protected by the European agency Natura 2000. This area accounts for nearly half of the total land burned by wildfires in Greece since the start of the summer, as reported by the European climate service Copernicus.
Greece, like several other Mediterranean countries, faces recurrent wildfires during the summer months. This year alone, wildfires have claimed the lives of 26 people and scorched at least 150,000 hectares of land, leaving the nation grappling with the devastating impact of both fires and floods.
