Flood in southern Greece kills 5 as firefighter battle wildfire in north

Greece's fire brigade has retrieved the body of a restaurant owner killed in a flood in the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece, the Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a firefighter was seriously injured while battling the flames of a wildfire burning on Thassos island in northern Greece, according to the report.

The spell of bad weather which has hit Greece since Wednesday continues to test citizens and authorities in several parts of Greece.

Fire brigade officers attribute the wildfire which broke out on four fronts on Thassos island amidst adverse weather conditions to lightening.

Two villages have been evacuated as a precautionary measure due to heavy smoke, as more than 100 firefighters and another 100 soldiers and local volunteers are struggling to put the blazes under control.

Four water dropping helicopters and four airplanes are participating in the operation which is hampered by the strong winds blowing in the area.

Meanwhile, flash floods due to heavy rainfall continue to cause severe problems in many regions of central and southern Greece.

A 30-year-old restaurant owner was found drown on Wednesday near the city of Corinth, some 90 kilometers southwest of Athens, bringing the death toll of floods in the Peloponnese this week to five. Four elderly people were killed under similar circumstances on Wednesday.

The restaurant owner's car was swept into a swollen stream while he was trying to reach his business, according to the fire brigade.

A woman is missing since Wednesday in the northern city of Thessaloniki, after her car was swept by waters.

In the outskirts of Trikala in central Greece, firefighters rescued at least two people after their cars were swept by flood waters, according to AMNA.

Flooded sections of national highways and regional roads in central and northern Greece have been closed and traffic has been diverted, while the fire brigade has responded to more than 1,000 calls for flooded basements of homes and stores nationwide.

Source : XINHUA