site.btaHighest Level of Alert Declared in Larissa, Water Continues to Rise

The highest level of alert has been declared in the city of Larissa, Central Greece, where the waters of the River Pineios continue to rise on Saturday. Although the rains in the area stopped on Thursday, the river is surging because of the large amounts of water coming from the mountains.

Rescue teams battled through the night to prevent central parts of the city from flooding as well, Sky TV reported.

The water level has risen by another half a metre since Friday, reaching 10m. In the flooded neighbourhoods of Larissa, the water is now 3 metres deep in places.

On September 8, local residents told BTA that authorities said the waters would start to recede by evening, but apparently that forecast has not come true.

There is also growing concern about the situation in villages in the Karditsa and Trikala regions, where dozens of residents remain stranded in very difficult conditions for a fourth day.

The body of an elderly woman was found near Karditsa late on Friday evening, bringing the death toll from this week's floods in central Greece to 10.

Because of the disaster, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled his participation in the opening of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, which started Saturday with Bulgaria as the Honored Country.