Main Athens-Thessaloniki hwy reopens to traffic, more than a week after record-breaking storm

The main Athens-Thessaloniki highway was reopened to traffic on Friday afternoon, but only to passenger cars and light trucks.

Only emergency-related heavier trucks can use the roadway.

Parts of the highway between the central city of Larissa and the Platamonas juncture had been under floodwaters for more than a week, following an intense storm front that poured record-breaking rainfall on the Thessaly plain last week.

Most of the roads connecting the three major cities in the province, Larissa, Karditsa and Trikala were also reopened.

In a related development, a relevant civil protection deputy minister on Friday said the number of finalized flood-damage claims filed online has reached nearly 10,000, with another 4,000 awaiting approval.