site.btaState of Emergency Declared in Flood-Hit Glyfada District of Athens

A state of emergency has been declared in Glyfada, a southern district of the Greek capital, Athens, which was hit by flooding following heavy rainfall last night, according to local media reports.

On Wednesday evening, a 56-year-old pedestrian was killed when crushed by a car which was swept away by floodwaters on one of the streets. On Thursday, the Ministry of the Interior announced that emergency funds would be allocated to local municipal authorities to assess the damage to the road network and infrastructure and carry out urgent restoration work.

"What we have experienced is something that neither I nor even the oldest residents of Glyfada have ever seen", said Georgios Papanikolaou, the mayor of the area, quoted by ANA-MPA news agency. He added that residents have been working non-stop since last night to clear the roads of debris. The mayor pointed to illegal waste disposal as a contributing factor to the flooding due to clogged riverbeds.

Residents of the coastal area quoted in the Kathimerini news publication said that flooding has always been a problem in the area, but it has worsened due to increased construction and a series of forest fires on the Hymettus Mountain range.