Halkidiki prefecture, northern Greece’s pre-eminent tourism destination, was declared in a state of emergency on Thursday, in the wake of last evening’s widespread destruction from a particularly intense storm front, which cost the lives of six people, all tourists to the area, and including two minors.
Up to 100 people were also injured from the gale force winds and instances of tornadoes, a very rare phenomenon in mostly mountainous and coastal Greece. Additionally, a fisherman remained missing.
Extensive power outages were also reported, as tens of thousands of local and foreign holiday-makers are in the area – the peak summertime season.
Local residents and meteorologists pointed to a similar storm in 1983, which resulted in nine fatalities.
One Romanian woman and her eight-year-old son died when a metal cover at a tavern collapse, while another two people, tourists from the Czech Republic, died when their RV overturned. A tree fell on a father and son in the Nea Potidaia district, resulting in their death.
The weather service in the country had issued an urgent emergency warning a day earlier of the extreme weather conditions, even as sunny skies prevailed throughout the country.
