Greece drowning in the rain: dramatic scenes in the rescue of flood victims

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Hundreds of people were rescued from villages in the flooded areas of central Greece on Friday. The water masses cut them off from their surroundings for days.

Many elderly and sick people in particular, but also pregnant women and small children, have been taken by helicopter to a sports field in the city of Karditsa, according to Greek media.

Something “never seen before”

More than 2,000 people have been brought to safety since rescue efforts began in recent days.

Many of the rescued were at the end of their strength, some had not eaten for days and barely drank. “I’ve seen wars and famine, but never anything like it,” 104-year-old Stavroula Brazioti, who was taken from Piniada, told ERTnews. Among the rescued were numerous elderly and sick people, some of whom had been without medication for days. Many cried, thanked the firefighters and reported their experiences.

First the living, then the dead

“An old neighbor swam to death in her flooded kitchen just five houses away from us,” a woman from Palamas told Skai. “The rescuers said they would save the living first and then bring back the dead.”

So far, the known death toll stands at seven, but there are fears that there could be more victims. So far, rescuers have not been able to penetrate all of the flooded areas.

From Monday to Thursday, a severe storm had settled over central Greece. Heavy rainfall has flooded towns and cities in many places. Meanwhile, precipitation amounts reached an unprecedented height of over 700 liters per square meter in less than 24 hours. The severe storm has passed since Friday. However, the damage is only slowly becoming visible and many people still need to be rescued. (SDA)

Source: Blick