Devendra Kumar
Severe rainstorms have left a trail of destruction in Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria, resulting in a total of 14 deaths. Rescue teams in the three countries have been working tirelessly to recover bodies and provide aid to those affected. In Turkey, a flash flood at a campsite near the border with Bulgaria killed at least five people, with three more found dead on Wednesday. The campsite was swept away, leaving many homes and buildings destroyed. In Istanbul, two people lost their lives, including a Guinean citizen trapped in his basement apartment and a 57-year-old woman who was swept away by the floods.
The floods in Istanbul affected over 1,750 homes and businesses, causing widespread damage and disruption. A line of shops in the Ikitelli district was inundated, with vehicles and mud dragged into furniture stores, destroying merchandise. The floodwaters also engulfed a parking area for containers and trucks, where people were forced to climb onto the roof of a restaurant to escape.
In Greece, a record rainfall claimed at least three lives near the city of Volos and left three people missing. A man was killed when a wall buckled and fell on him, and the body of a woman was discovered on Wednesday. Authorities banned traffic in Volos and several nearby regions, where many households remained without electricity. The storms were forecast to continue until at least Thursday afternoon.
In Bulgaria, a storm caused floods on the southern Black Sea coast, resulting in four deaths and several people missing. The bodies of two missing people were recovered from the sea on Wednesday, and border police vessels and drones were assisting efforts to locate two others. TV footage showed cars and camper vans being swept out to sea in the resort town of Tsarevo, where authorities declared a state of emergency. The floods caused serious traffic problems, with several bridges destroyed and rivers bursting their banks.
Tourism minister Zaritsa Dinkova estimated that around 4,000 people were affected by the disaster along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. She noted that transporting tourists was a challenge due to the dangerous road conditions, which was threatening to disrupt the country’s tourism industry. As the rescue efforts continue, the full extent of the damage and the number of people affected by the severe rainstorms is still emerging.