Greek police ban cars from roads as severe storm batters central region
5 September 2023, 12:04
The country’s weather service said the Pilion region is forecast to receive about 650-700mm of rain over Tuesday and Wednesday.
Greek police have ordered vehicles off the streets of the central town of Volos and the nearby mountain region of Pilion as a severe storm hit the area, turning streets into flooded torrents.
The ban, which covers all except emergency services and roadside assistance vehicles, will remain in place until the storm subsides, police said.
The fire department said one man was killed in Volos when a wall buckled and fell on him while another man was reported missing, believed to have been swept away by floodwaters.
Authorities also sent alerts to mobile phones in several other areas of central Greece, the Sporades island chain and the island of Evia, warning people to limit their movements outdoors due to the storm.
Greece’s weather service said the Pilion region was forecast to receive about 650-700mm of rain over Tuesday and Wednesday, while 550-600mm were forecast for the central Greek town of Karditsa.
The extreme weather comes after major wildfires in Greece, with some burning for more than two weeks and destroying vast tracts of forest and farmland. More than 20 people were killed in the fires.
