Death toll from storm Daniel and the floods it caused in Greece rose to 10, Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias announced on Friday afternoon.
The dead are 3 men and seven women who lost their lives in Volos, Pilion in Magnisia as well as in Ellinopyrgo, Palamas, Astritsa and Marathea in the floods of central Greece.
Referring to rumors claiming high number of dead and missing, Kikilias spoke of “fake news” and said the number of missing were four, among them the newly wed Austrian couple missing since last Tuesday.
Earlier on Friday, the body of man recovered from the rose to seven on Friday, after the body of man recovered from the sea off Anavros in Volos, central Greece. The 69-year-old man, a well-known businessman in the Volos, went missing on Thursday night, when he went to collect water from a fountain of Anavros, as the city remains without water supply since storm Daniel stroke beginning of the week.He reportedly lost his balance and fell into the sea where he was drown.
Also on Friday the bodies of an elderly woman was found in Marathea village, and the bodies of two women found in two different houses in Palamas.
The body of a fourth woman was found also on Friday in Theotokos beach near the settlement of Lyri in south-eastern Pelion.
Meanwhile, efforts to locate a 42-year-old man who went missing in Volos since Tuesday continue.
Missing persons
The number of “missing” persons in the floods remains practically “unknown” as at least six villages with an estimated population of 6,000 people are under water in the plain of Thessaly, Central Greece.
Satellite picture of the flooded areas in Thessaly plain, where 750,000 hectares have been flooded, according to the National Observatory of Athens.
Pink areas known to be at flooding risk: Map available since 2018.
Hundreds of one- and two-storey homes remain under water in the plain like in village Metamorfosi below.
H εκταση της καταστροφής στην Μεταμόρφωση είναι ασύλληπτη. Απο πού να ξεκινήσεις και πού να τελειώσεις τη διάσωση. Πώς ειναι δυνατόν να γλιτώσανε αυτοι οι άνθρωποι και πόσοι απο αυτούς? Πώς έφτασε τόσο νερό στο χωριό? #Καρδίτσα #κακοκαιρια #πλημμυρες pic.twitter.com/KRR4GBjZ3n
— -`🦊´- @alepouda@vis.social (μαστοδον) (@alepouda) September 7, 2023
Officially there are 3 people missing in Palamas village, Skai TV reported citing the mayor adding that there is information of another 2 in a nearby village.
Speaking to ANT1 TV in the morning, Palamas’ mayor said that homes have been collapsed and the number of dead may rise.
“Nobody knows ho many people are missing,” the Regional Governor of Thessaly told reporters on Friday. he has been on this post for the last 11 years.
Pinios river flooding
As the flooding phenomenon in the area is developing and the main river Pinios is overflowing, residents in several villages as districts of Larissa near the river have been ordered to evacuate on Friday.
Suburb Agios Thomas in Larissa is already flooded, state-run news agency amna reported.
1,881 Rescues
Rescue operations from the air and by boats intensified in the floods areas of Thessaly that were affected by the unprecedented severe weather conditions continue unabated by the Fire Department and the Armed Forces.
📌 Χθεσινή εικόνα διάσωσης υπερήλικης στα Μεγάλα Καλύβια Τρικάλων απο κατοίκους.
‼️ Για τρίτη ημέρα αποκλεισμένο το χωριό. «Πήραν με βάρκες μόνο κάποιους με προβλήματα υγείας, οι υπόλοιποι χωρίς νερό, χωρίς φαγητό, χωρίς ρεύμα», καταγγέλλει αναγνώστρια στο NEWS 24/7.… pic.twitter.com/q1ort5Byw7
— NEWS 24/7 (@News247gr) September 8, 2023
State broadcaster ERT reported that relatives of people trapped in the area have traveled there so seek for their beloved ones.
Some media reported on Thursday that that there are no records registering the rescued people. Unknonw is also the number of people waiting for rescue on roof-tops and upper floors.
According to information from the Fire Department, from early on Friday until 11:00, there have been 149 aerial rescues of people. Specifically, 93 have been done by the Air Force and 56 by the Fire Department.
A total of 1,881 rescues – evacuations of people, who were taken to safe places, have been carried out until now, while from Tuesday, September 5, until today at 6:30 a.m., the Operations Center of the Fire Department received 6,406 calls that are mainly for pumping water, cutting trees and removing people to safe places.
More KTG reports on storm Daniel, the floods and the impact in the country here.
