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Dramatic images come from Greece, which was hit by a very strong cyclone. At least two people have died and there are fears for the fate of others who are reported missing. Entire areas in southern and western Greece, the islands of the Ionian Sea and the southern Peloponnese, generally packed with tourists, face flooding, power outages, roads impassable due to trees and poles downed by the plague.
The scale of the disaster left by Cyclone Ianos in southern and western Greece can be seen from the air. Some areas have been turned into huge lakes. There are roads completely covered by water.
Entire regions were devastated by the passage of the strong storm that hit a hurricane. The worst affected are the regions around the cities of Karditsa and Farsala.
“We are facing a total catastrophe,” a Farsala local told state television.
Animals carried in people’s arms to prevent them from drowning
Karditsa is the largest plain in the country, but now the agricultural land has turned into a veritable swamp. In some areas, the water is waist-deep and people carry their animals in their arms to save them.
Gusts of more than 100 kilometers per hour tore off roofs, building facades, rooted trees and grounded power poles. The problems are especially found on the islands of Corfu, Ithaca, Zakynthos, Lefkada and Kefalonia.
The impressive amount of rainfall brought by the cyclone caused major flooding. The gusts tore into the streets and took everything in their path and flooded the houses. Many roads have become impassable due to landslides.
The force of the gusts swept away everything in its path
In the city of Muzaki, north of Athens, floodwaters from the rain broke a road bridge, threatened another and several buildings, including a medical center, were partially destroyed after the banks of the rivers in the area collapsed. under pressure. floods.
Rail links between Athens and Thessaloniki are suspended.
On Saturday, the storm reached Attica, but appears to have lost strength.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has promised financial aid for the destroyed areas, but says the priority now is saving lives. Firefighters received nearly 2,500 calls to help stranded people, remove fallen trees and pump water from flooded homes and stores.
Mediterranean cyclones (“Mediterranean”, Mediterranean hurricane), such as Ianos, were first recorded in Greece in 1995 and have become more common in recent years. A similar storm hit the country three years ago, when 25 people died in the floods and several hundred were left homeless.
Editor: Luana Pavaluca
