Severe rainstorm triggers flooding in central Greece, 1 man dies. Police order a traffic ban
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 has hit the area, turning streets into flooded torrents
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Greek police ordered vehicles off the streets of the central town of Volos and the nearby mountain region of Pilion on Tuesday 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 push alerts to cellphones 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 650-700 millimeters (25.5-27.5 inches) of rain over Tuesday and Wednesday, while 550-600 millimeters were forecast for the central Greek town of Karditsa.
The weather service noted that the average rainfall in the capital of Athens region is around 400 millimeters.
The extreme weather comes on the heels of major wildfires that hit Greece over the past few weeks, 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.