Bad weather lashes western and central Macedonia

EMAK rescue workers on Friday saved a family of four livestock farmers who were trapped by torrential rains on the outskirts of Variko, a village in western Macedonia, brought on by the same low pressure system that caused Wednesday’s deadly floods in Attica.

Earlier, firefighters rescued a driver who was trapped in his pickup truck in Vergina, while another 40 people have been transported to safety in Pieria.

Overnight rain has caused extensive damage to farms, as well as killing livestock, in the broader area of central and western Macedonia, though an official assessment will not be available for a few days.

Meteorologists have warned that the bad weather will continue through the weekend and may even become more acute. It will also be spreading east, affecting the islands of the Aegean.