Rescuers search for flood victims
ATHENS, Greece — Residents on the western fringes of the Greek capital struggled Thursday to clean up the devastation from flash floods that swept through their neighbourhoods a day earlier.
The number of deaths from Wednesday’s flooding increased to 16 after firefighters found the body of a man in the swamped basement of a home in the Nea Peramos district west of Athens.
Search and rescue operations were continuing Thursday for four more people reported missing since the floods turned roads into violent torrents of mud and debris.
The disaster was among the worst to hit the Greek capital in decades, and the government declared a day of national mourning. Flags across the country flew at half-staff Thursday.
The hardest hit area was Mandra, a modest working-class district on the western outskirts of Athens, where nearly all the fatalities occurred. Authorities said about 500 homes and businesses were damaged.
Wednesday’s flash floods, which came after a severe overnight storm, carried away vehicles, collapsed walls, sank fishing boats and submerged a section of a major highway.
“There is huge damage. Inestimable damage,” Mandra Mayor Ioanna Kriekouki told local media.
Twelve of the 23 injured remained hospitalized, including an 82-yearold woman listed as being in serious condition, the National Health Operations Center said.
Cars lay piled on top of each other or flung against buildings after being carried away by the torrents sweeping through the area’s streets. Some houses and businesses saw outer walls collapse, leaving the interior exposed to the elements. Rubble, twisted metal and smashed vehicles lined the roads.
“As you can see, everything is a mess,” said local resident Katerina Sideri.
More storms lashed the Greek capital on Thursday, temporarily severing traffic on one of Athens’ main central avenues, although they did not cause flash floods.
Nearly all the injuries and fatalities occurred in Mandra and the surrounding area. Twelve of the dead were found there, while the bodies of two men were picked up by the coast guard after having been swept out to sea by the flood.