The death toll from this week’s severe storm front in central Greece reached 10 on Friday, authorities announced, while another four are still missing in Mt. Pelion region near the hard-hit port city of Volos.
Widespread and deep flooding affected a large portion of the Thessaly plain, Greece’s “bread basket”, with entire villages and towns under water, including parts of the central city of Larissa.
Flooding from the Pinios River and its tributaries was the main cause, given that the waterway is the only drainage outlet for Thessaly, which is surrounded by mountains and higher ground.
Emergency crews and military units on the ground with boats and four-wheel vehicles and up to 20 helicopters had carried out some 1,700 rescues, while evacuations were ordered for dozens of residential areas.
Meanwhile during his tour of the flood-ravaged of Volos, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said restoring water supply to the municipality is a main priority, with the rescue of stranded people in several Mt. Pelion villages also a priority for the specific region.
Mitsotakis and a delegation of top government officials subsequently met with local authorities in Larissa, where the main problem is still floodwaters, lack of power and drinking water.
Rainfall from the storm “Daniel” is being compared with all previous data in order to declare it the worst rainfall on record for a single day or 48 hours.
Larissa and areas on either side of the swollen Pinios River may see even higher floodwaters in the coming period due to draining waters from through the entire Thessaly plain.
The highest level of the specific river had been recorded at six meters, with one reading on Friday citing a level exceeding nine meters
Latest News
Blue Flag Global List: Greece Remains in Second Place on
The well-known northern Greece holiday 'magnet' of Halkidiki has the most Blue Flags in Greece among prefectures, with 104. Crete, as a whole however, has 146 Blue Flags
Piraeus Bank Board Proposal 79 mln€ in Dividend for FY23
Proposal equals 0.063 euros per share and is up for approval by a Piraeus Bank general shareholders' assembly to convene in late June
ELSTAT: Greek Merchant Fleet Sees 0.4% Decline in Numbers in March 2024
The capacity fell by 3.5% in March 2024 compared to the same month in 2023.
Athens Hotel Occupancy Rises in Early 2024, But Still Falls Short of Expectations
April emerged as a notably positive month for Athens, significantly impacting the overall results for the four-month period.
Greece’s Assets Body Launches Tender for Business Park in Fyli
Once completed, the Fyli business park will serve as a national transport hub, creating jobs and revenues for Western Attica.
ELSTAT: 3.4% Rise in Retail Trade Turnover in Q1 – 2.9% Drop in March
Regionally, Thessaly experienced the highest increase in turnover in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with a 5.3% rise.
Fruit and Vegetable Exports Increase by 5.8% in Value in Q1, 2024
Conversely, the import of fruits and vegetables surged in the first quarter of 2024, increasing by 17.1% in volume and 20.9% in value compared to the same period in 2023.
Greek Shipowners in 1st Place for New Orders and Secondhand Ships
Research at Allied QuantumSea shows Greek ship holders are also first in ship sales, showing they are modernizing their fleets
PDMA: Yield of Greek 10-Year Bond Set at 3.51%
Bids surpassed expectations, exceeding the 250 million euros initially offered by approximately 3.5 times, totaling 835 million euros.
IOBE: Olive Oil Drives April Food Inflation to 5.4% in Greece
This discrepancy occurs because the weighting of olive oil in the consumer price index, as prescribed by Eurostat regulations, is significant due to its historically high consumption by Greek households