Heavy rainfall provokes floods in Thessaloniki

Heavy rainfall on Thursday night resulted in major flooding in Thessaloniki with dozens of homes flooded and two motorists becoming trapped in submerged streets.

The floods were worst in western Thessaloniki following a strong storm on Thursday night. The fire service received more than 150 calls with 17 requests for flooded homes or basement stores to be pumped out.

During the storm on Thursday night, fire service officers moved seven people to safety from their flooded homes in the Efkarpia area. 

In Anthokipoi the floodwaters swept large volumes of mud and debris into homes after a stream in the area broke its banks. 

Two motorists became trapped – one in the area of Evosmos and one on a regional road. One managed to extricate himself from the floodwaters while the other required the help of the police. 

Traffic on Friday was very slow with several collisions recorded in the morning due to slippery road surfaces.