Floods Spark State of Emergency in Northern Greece (video)

A state of emergency has been declared in parts of northern Greece after a swollen River Evros broke its banks, causing widespread flooding.
The village of Praggi was among the areas in Evros prefecture affected by the floodwaters earlier this week.
Now, the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace regions have been declared to be in a state of emergency as the authorities attempt to prevent more damage from the rising floodwaters.
Local officials had called upon the government to declare the region in a state of emergency after the river rose above dangerous levels at Pythio in Didymoteicho.
The region’s deputy governor, Dimitris Petrovic, said that the level of water in the river has been above dangerous levels for four consecutive days.
He also warned that the problem could worsen as neighboring Bulgaria has announced it will release more water into the river from the Ivaylovgrad Dam.
Speaking on Saturday, Petrovic said there had been a “heavy burden” on the river as large quantities of water had also flowed westwards from Turkey.
Footage from the scene showed small homes and gardens partially submerged by the river, with low-lying ground totally underwater.

(Video: Evros News)