Greek gov't announces aid to flood-stricken as death toll rises to 15

ATHENS, Sep 11: Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Sunday the first package of relief measures for the flood-stricken in central Greece, as the flood-caused death toll increased to 15, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported.

"The state will stand by the side of people with no delays," Mitsotakis said during his second visit to the Thessaly region within three days.

Procedures for the support of households and businesses will start on Monday and people who saw their homes, farms or fields submerged in mud waters will immediately receive financial aid to cover urgent needs, he said.

Further compensations and funding to restore their properties and rebuild destroyed infrastructure will follow, he added.

The storm dubbed "Daniel" which swept Greece from Monday and hit hard Thessaly for two days, receded on Thursday evening.

Entire villages in some areas can be approached only by boats and helicopters, and dozens of people receive food, water and medicines by drones, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Sunday.

A total of 4,486 people have been evacuated to safety since Tuesday, the Fire Brigade said on Sunday evening.

More than 70,000 hectares of land were submerged by water and mud, according to estimates from the National Observatory of Athens.

With thousands of farm animals drowned, the protection of public health is a top priority, Mitsotakis said.

Authorities advised people to drink only bottled water and avoid contacting dead animals, as crews have started removing them.

A large part of the cultivation of the Thessaly Plain, which is a key agricultural production area for Greece, was also washed away. According to experts and local producers, it will take up to five years to get back to normalcy and grow produce in fertile soil again.