Death toll rises to four in Greece after floods, more than 800 rescued

Swift water rescuers and divers from disaster response units and the army are participating in rescue efforts.

The death toll from floods in central Greece has risen to four after severe rainstorms turned streets into raging torrents, hurled cars into the sea, and washed away roads and bridges.

Vassilis Kikilias, Greece’s minister for the climate crisis and civil protection, said on Thursday that more than 885 people had been rescued so far and six were reported missing.

Flooding triggered by severe rainstorms also hit neighbouring Bulgaria and Turkey, killing a total of 15 people in the three countries.

“Our country finds itself for the third day dealing with a phenomenon the likes of which we have not seen in the past,” Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on Thursday.

He added that some areas received more than twice the average annual rainfall of Athens in the space of 12 hours.

“The state’s absolute priority at the moment is the rescue … of people from the areas hit by the bad weather and the protection of critical infrastructure,” Marinakis said.

The fire department said the body of a man who was reported missing on Wednesday was found in a stream near a village in the Domokos area of central Greece.