UPDATED: Two children among tourists killed in storms in Greece

Six foreign nationals, including two children, and one person who so far has not been identified, were killed and more than 100 other people injured after gale-force winds, rain and hailstorms struck northern Greece late on Wednesday, uprooting trees and collapsing roofs, authorities said.

Among the place hit by the storms was the Halkidiki peninsula, a region popular with tourists in the summer, which has now been declared an emergency zone.

On Thursday morning, the body of a man was found in the area between the towns of Sozopolis and Nea Kallikratia. The body has not yet been identified, but reports suggest that it could be the body of a fisherman who went missing on Wednesday night in the area.

Greek police said two elderly Czech tourists were killed when strong winds and water swept away their travel trailer.

Elsewhere in the region, a woman and an 8-year-old boy, both Romanian nationals, were killed after a roof collapsed on a restaurant in Nea Plagia. A man and a young boy, both Russians, died after a tree collapsed near their hotel in the seaside town of Potidea, authorities said.

Such severe weather is unusual in Greece, where summers are typically hot and dry. Meteorologist Klearxos Marousakis described conditions as “extremely unusual” for this time of year.

 

Via Reuters