Flooding in Evros under partial control but danger not averted

The level of Evros River in northern Greece dropped to 5.80 meters on Tuesday after several days above 6 meters, though it is still not below the danger level of 5.70 meters, civil protection authorities in northern Greece said, as a new wave of rain is expected on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Deputy Regional Governor of Evros Dimitris Petrovic told the state-run Athens-Macedonia News Agency that there has also been a drop in the volume of water streaming into the Evros from Bulgaria as well as from Turkey, warning, however, that the danger of large-scale flooding has not been averted as more rain is expected to lash the Balkans in the coming days.

Several rivers running off the Evros in northern Greece have broken their banks due to heavy rainfall over the past 12 days, flooding thousands of hectares of farmland but sparing most residential settlements, with the exception of a few dozen houses built close to riverbanks.

Local authorities have estimated that some 11,000 hectares of cultivations have been destroyed and are currently assessing the damage to homes.

The heavy downpours have also claimed the lives of four motorists caught in flash floods.