Chaos in Greece. Canceled flights, hundreds of passengers at airports
Greece was hit by a huge storm, which brought with it dire consequences. The country is struggling with massive floods, roads have become impassable and many flights have been canceled. Disruptions – also in travel – are reported throughout the region.
Storm Daniel came over Greece. It brought heavy rainfall, which led to flooding. In many regions of the country, streets are torn up and car owners have been ordered to withdraw from the roads. Paralysis also affected flying. Many flights were canceled for safety reasons. Passengers are currently camping at airports.
Paralysis in Greece. Trouble traveling
Severe storms triggered deadly floods in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, causing travel disruptions across the region. Many flights to and from the Greek island of Skiathos were canceled and hundreds of holidaymakers were stranded at the airport.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis believes that climate change is responsible for both the fires and storms.
“I am afraid that the carefree years (…) are behind us and the coming years will probably become more and more difficult,” he said.
At least seven people are known to have died in the region, including two tourists kidnapped from a campsite in northwestern Turkey. Two people died in floods in Istanbul, and near the Greek city of Volos, a man died after being hit by a collapsing wall.
Warnings for residents and tourists
Police ordered vehicles to be withdrawn from the streets of three Greek regions: Volos, the nearby Pilion mountain region and the island of Skiathos until the storm subsided.
Notifications were also sent to citizens’ mobile phones in central Greece, the Sporades archipelago and the island of Evia, warning them to limit outdoor activities due to the weather.
A warning has appeared on the Skiathos airport website about possible changes to aircraft arrivals and departures due to “extraordinary weather phenomena”.
However, eyewitness accounts provide a slightly more dramatic description of the entire situation. “Terrifying scenes. We are currently at the airport. We waited for 12 hours until there were no flights until Thursday,” wrote one of the users of the website X, previously known as Twitter.
Jet2 has canceled four flights from the UK to Skiathos after it was forced to divert one flight from London Stansted to Thessaloniki on Monday.
If you are going on holiday to Greece, follow the current information on the situation in the country.
