Greek authorities used helicopters on Tuesday to evacuate six residents of a village near Karditsa, Thessaly, who had been stranded by the floods caused by the rare “Medicane” storm which hit the country over the weekend.
The village of Oxia was badly damaged by “Ianos” as it swept from the Ionian Islands to central Greece. The residents were unable to leave the village and were running out of water and other essential supplies.
The first attempt to evacuate on Monday evening ended in failure. Helicopters were unable to land near the village due to the lack of open space. They managed, however, to drop water, food and medical supplies there before making another effort today.
The operation was repeated on Tuesday morning and the residents were evacuated successfully.
Three people died over the weekend from the storm, which also wiped out bridges and flooded more than 21,000 hectares of the Thessalian Plain, including thousands of homes and businesses in the city of Karditsa, as well as farms and factories.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is visiting the region on Tuesday to meet with local officials and discuss the measures and the restoration plan of the areas affected.
The government has already announced measures to compensate households and businesses affected.
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