At least seven people have died after fierce rainstorms triggered flooding in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. In Turkey, two holidaymakers were swept away at a campsite in Kirklareli province near the Bulgarian border, while two others died in Istanbul. Four people remain missing in Kirklareli.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the deaths and ongoing search efforts. In Istanbul, heavy rain flooded streets and homes, forcing the closure of some subway stations and prompting the governor to urge motorcyclists to stay indoors.
In Greece, record rainfall caused at least one death near Volos, where a wall collapsed on a man. Five people are missing, possibly swept away by floodwaters. Authorities banned traffic in Volos, the Pelion region and Skiathos island, and sent mobile phone alerts to residents in affected areas.
A village in Pelion received 75.4cm of rain late on Tuesday, the highest level since 2006—nearly double the average annual rainfall in Athens. The Greek minister of climate crisis and civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, said the heavy rain was expected to ease after midday on Wednesday.
In Bulgaria, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov reported two deaths and three missing after floods on the southern Black Sea coast. Overflowing rivers damaged roads and bridges, and authorities declared a state of emergency in the resort town of Tsarevo, urging residents to move upstairs as ground floors flooded.
The storms follow major summer wildfires in Greece that killed more than 20 people. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis blamed both the wildfires and storms on climate change, warning that summers are likely to become more difficult.
