Heat waves are followed by heavy rain: streets and houses were flooded in Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria. At least three people died and numerous others are missing. The storms could continue.
Heavy rain has caused flooding in southern Europe and Turkey. According to authorities, at least three people died in total.
Of these, two people died in western Turkey. Four more are still being searched for in Kirklareli province, near the Greek and Bulgarian borders, the Afad civil protection authority said. Six others were saved.
In addition, numerous houses were flooded. In the western Turkish province of Kirklareli, near the border with Greece and Bulgaria, bungalows at a holiday resort were also swept away by the floods, the state news agency Anadolu reported.
The day before there were also severe storms in Mugla, southwest Turkey. There, lightning strikes caused fires in 36 different locations, Anadolu reported. The civil protection authority Afad warned of further storms in the west and southwest of Turkey. Flash floods, lightning strikes and storms could occur.
A dead person in Greece
A man also died in central Greece, as a spokesman for the fire department confirmed to the public broadcaster ERT. Another man is missing.
There, the storm “Daniel” brought large amounts of water, some of which swept away cars. People were rescued from their homes in inflatable boats, for example in the port city of Volos, where the water was sometimes waist-high.
Police banned vehicles from the streets of the city of Volos and the nearby mountainous region of Pelio. Exceptions applied to ambulances and road patrol vehicles. In several other areas of central Greece, the Sporades island chain and the island of Euboea, authorities also sent warning messages to cell phones and urged people not to go outdoors because of the storm.
Warning of record rain
The Greek Meteorological Service said rainfall amounts of 650 to 700 liters of rain per square meter were forecast for the Pelion region today and tomorrow. In the city of Karditsa, 550 to 600 liters of rain is expected. The weather service pointed out that the average rainfall in the region around the capital Athens is 400 liters per year.
The power went out on the island of Corfu and there were problems with the operation of the airport there. On the Sporades islands of Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonnisos there was lightning and thunder every second at night, and in the Elis region in the west of the Peloponnese peninsula, hail destroyed parts of the upcoming olive harvest. According to meteorologists, heavy rain is expected to continue until at least Thursday.
Bulgaria: Bridges and caravans drift away
Flooded houses and hotels were also reported in neighboring Bulgaria. Three people are missing, citizen protection chief Aleksandar Dschartov told the television station bTV. Authorities declared a state of emergency in the Tsarevo area after the Weleka River burst its banks, Bulgarian media reported.
Bridges were swept away by the floods. Several seaside resorts were cut off from the outside world because country roads were impassable because of the water. Several campsites in the region were also flooded and, according to media reports, cars and caravans were driven into the sea due to strong winds. Holidaymakers were brought to safety.
Temperatures are apparently falling
In the past few weeks, southern Europe has had to contend with heat waves and fires. In Greece, as a result of the heavy rainfall, there is now no longer any risk of forest fires in most of the country for the first time in months.
Turkey was also hit by a heat wave. According to the weather authority, temperatures in the east of the country are currently still above normal for this time of year. In the rest of the country it is now in the normal range.
Source : Tages Schau