Fierce rainstorms are battering neighbouring Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, causing at least seven deaths. ITV News Correspondent Rachel Younger reports
At least eight people have died after torrential rain brought flooding to parts of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Among those killed were three holidaymakers who were swept away by a torrent of water at a campsite in Kirklareli, north west Turkey. Three others remained missing.
The flash flood at the campsite near the border with Bulgaria carried away bungalow homes and television footage showed rescuers carrying a young girl and an adult to safety from waist-high waters.
The rains also damaged and forced the closure of a main road, HaberTurk television reported.
Floods also hit Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, leaving at least two people dead. One was a 32-year-old Guinean citizen who was trapped inside his ground-floor apartment in the Kucukcekmece district, HaberTurk TV reported.
The surging flood waters affected more than 1,750 homes and businesses in the city, according to Istanbul governor’s office. They included a line of shops in the Ikitelli district, where the deluge dragged parked vehicles and mud into furniture stores, destroying the merchandise, Turkish media reports said.
The floods also engulfed a parking area for containers and trucks on the city’s outskirts where people found safety by climbing on the roof of a restaurant.
About 12 people were rescued after being stranded in a library, and some metro stations were forced to close, while the heavy rain flooded streets and locals’ homes.
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said two people died and three others were missing after a storm caused floods on the country’s southern Black Sea coast.
Overflowing rivers caused severe damage to roads and bridges. The area also suffered power blackouts, and authorities warned residents not to drink tap water due to contamination from floodwaters.
High winds sent 2-metre (6-foot) waves crashing onto beaches at tourist resorts amid torrential rain that flooded streets and houses.
TV footage showed cars and camper vans being swept out to sea in the hardest-hit southern resort town of Tsarevo, where officials declared a state of emergency and urged people to move upstairs as the ground floors of some hotels were inundated.
Greece
In some parts of Greece, a year’s worth of rain fell in just one day – channelling thigh-high torrents through streets and sweeping cars away – as the country faced more extreme weather following a summer of wildfires.
A man was killed near the central city of Volos when a wall buckled and fell on him. Five people were reported missing, possibly swept away by floodwaters, the fire department said.
Traffic was banned in Volos, the nearby mountain region of Pilion and on the holiday resort island of Skiathos until the storm subsides, police said.
British tourists were among those stranded as three regions of Greece, including the island of Skiathos, were hit by Storm Daniel, causing widespread flooding that turned roads into rivers.
UK-bound flights from a Greek Island have been cancelled as the region continues to be battered by severe rainstorms and widespread flooding.
People posted videos of water cascading through streets. Some reported power outages amid the “non-stop” rain.
Travel provider Tui told customers on X, formerly known as Twitter, that flights to Skiathos flights had been delayed overnight.
A tourist reported being “stranded” in the town of Troulos. Tui said they had “a team proactively contacting guests directly to advise the next steps”.
Police banned traffic on the resort island of Skiathos as record rainfall caused at least one death, channelled thigh-high torrents through streets and swept cars away.
Storm Daniel is causing severe flooding across the region, with streams overflowing their banks and water sweeping cars into the sea.
British tourists have taken to social media to ask for help having been left stranded on Skiathos, which is east of the Greek mainland.
Jet2 said all its flights due to depart the island on Tuesday and Wednesday – five in total – have been cancelled.
The airline said it was monitoring the forecast and will confirm new departure times as soon as possible.
Four flights scheduled from the UK to the Island on Wednesday have also been cancelled.
On Monday, a flight from London Stansted to Skiathos was diverted to the mainland city of Thessaloniki because of the weather, where customers were provided with hotel accommodation until they can be returned to the UK.
In a statement to affected customers posted on its website, Jet2 said: “We are sorry to inform you that due to the current and forecasted weather affecting the Island of Skiathos, we have delayed your flight.
“The heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are continuing to effect Skiathos, this is part of an adverse weather phenomenon named Storm Daniel.
“We are monitoring the forecast and will confirm your new departure time as soon as the forecast allows.
“We understand how frustrating this situation is, but please be assured that our dedicated UK-based Operations Team are working tirelessly to ensure we get you back to the UK, when it is safe to do so.
“We know that this is not the news you would like to hear, however, the safety and well-being of all our customers and crew is paramount. Whilst in destination, please continue to follow the advice of the Local Authority.”
Authorities sent mobile phone alerts in several other areas of central Greece, the Sporades island chain and the island of Evia warning people to limit their movements outdoors.
Streams overflowed their banks and swept cars into the sea in the Pilion area, while rockfalls blocked roads, a small bridge was carried away and many areas suffered power cuts. A retirement home in Volos was evacuated.
The country’s minister for civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, said the storms were forecast to ease after noon on Wednesday and urged people in affected areas to stay indoors.
‘Careless summers as we knew them will cease to exist’
The storm comes on the heels of major summer wildfires that hit Greece over the past few weeks, with some burning for more than two weeks and destroying vast tracts of forest and farmland. More than 20 people were killed.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis blamed both the wildfires and storms on climate change, while conceding that his centre-right government “clearly didn’t manage things as well as we would have liked” on the wildfire front.
“I am afraid that the careless summers, as we knew them… will cease to exist and from now on the coming summers are likely to be ever more difficult,” he said on Tuesday.
Greece’s weather service said a Pilion region village received 75.4 centimetres (nearly 30 inches) of rain late on Tuesday – by far the highest level recorded since at least 2006. The average annual rainfall in the Athens region is around 40 centimetres (15.75 inches).
The storm was forecast to cause heavy rainfall and storms, accompanied by hail, thunder and strong winds in the Aegean.
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