[ad_1]
According to Civil Defense, there were no injuries or victims from the storm with characteristics of a hurricane until Friday afternoon.
The most dangerous situation takes place at sea off the Peloponnese peninsula. There, on Friday afternoon, a boat with around 50 migrants on board was at risk of capsizing in a storm with gusts of eleven, according to state television (ERT). The ship was heading to Italy according to all indications.
- Before the storm OÖN editor Andreas Kremsner from the Peloponnese reported:
- After the storm: By Friday, the situation had largely normalized again:
The coast guard and passing ships tried to help the people on the sunken ship. But this is not possible due to the strong waves and the storm. Coast Guard officers expected the ship to be propelled towards the mainland. This would facilitate the rescue operation, according to Coast Guard circles. The ship was about 10 nautical miles off the coast of the Peloponnese peninsula on Friday afternoon and was driven closer and closer to the sandy beach in the Ileia region, according to state radio.
“Crazy what the smugglers did”
“What the tugs did is crazy,” said a Coast Guard official. In a storm like this, no one leaves the port, he told himself.
In the Ionian Sea, which lies between Italy and Greece, immigrants are seen on their way to Italy almost every day. With crossings from Greece or Turkey organized by smuggling gangs directly into Italy, migrants are trying to avoid the largely closed Balkan route and reach Western Europe in this way.
See image gallery
Image Gallery: Cyclone Hit Greece
Image: APA
The power went out in many regions of western Greece and on the Peloponnese peninsula. Several ships were damaged in the ports of the holiday islands of Zakynthos, Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca. A camp in Kefalonia was evacuated and dozens of beach bars in the west of the country were devastated. Firefighters came out again and again to clear the streets of fallen trees and get people out of flooded houses, according to state television (ERT).
Schools closed and no ferries
Schools in many regions of western Greece closed on Friday. Ferry connections to the islands of Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Ithaca were also interrupted, as stated.
The civil defense and the meteorological office warned: In the next few hours the “Medicane Ianos” could change course and cause serious damage on land. Heavy rains were expected in central Greece. Forecasters expect the weather to improve on Sunday night.
A medicane is a storm depression that can form in the Mediterranean region towards the end of summer when the water is still high. As soon as it reaches the mainland, it becomes less violent.
Video: Such was the situation in the Peloponnese on Thursday
