Already 14 dead: the storms continue to rage in Southeastern Europe

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In Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, the torrential rains have claimed at least 14 lives so far. The situation in Central Greece is particularly dramatic. There, the fire brigade recovered the body of a man near the city of Karditsa on Wednesday evening. The victim was found under a car, according to the fire service. Meanwhile, EU politicians are calling for more support for the affected countries.

The torrential rain had caused the rivers to overflow their banks. Many roads and bridges were destroyed or severely damaged. On Wednesday, chaos reigned in Central Greece. Meanwhile, some 400 people were waiting for a ferry in the bay off the port city of Volos, which was not allowed to dock due to the storm damage.

No electricity, no internet

Greek geologist Efthymis Lekkas said it was not possible to make a definitive estimate of the number of fatalities. Numerous villages in the regions affected by the storms are currently inaccessible due to landslides and some also have no electricity, mobile phone network or internet.

There were seven deaths in Turkey on Wednesday; Another 31 people were injured, the report said. At least four people were killed on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, in Greece the number of victims was three on Wednesday evening. In Turkey, the metropolis of Istanbul was also hit by flooding. In Bulgaria, the storm raged on the Black Sea coast.

Especially in Greece, but also in Turkey, the situation is expected to remain tense on Thursday. Turkish authorities warned of further storms in the Black Sea region. Storm low “Daniel” would also continue to rage in Central Greece on Thursday. Only in Bulgaria does the situation seem to be easing; it may not rain there for the time being.

EU support needed

Meanwhile, EU Parliament Vice-President Katarina Barley called for EU aid for affected countries. As with previous natural disasters in other member states, the EU solidarity fund should be used for reconstruction, the SPD politician told the editorial network Germany (RND/Thursday). It would be a mistake to think that these are just ordinary weather phenomena.

According to the EU Climate Change Service Copernicus, the summer of 2023 from June to August was by far the hottest in the world since records began in 1940. The average temperature during that period was 16.77 degrees, 0.66 degrees above average , again significantly higher than in the previous record year 2019 with 16.48 degrees.

Other parts of the world also struggled with the aftermath of storms. In southern Brazil, the death toll rose to at least 28. Typhoon Haikui swept across southern China, killing at least two people.

(SDA)

Source: Blick