Eleven killed in floods in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria

The death toll from severe storms that have lashed parts of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria has risen to 11 after rescue teams in the neighbouring countries recovered four more bodies.

A flash flood at a campsite in north-western Turkey near the border with Bulgaria killed at least four people - with two found dead on Wednesday - and carried away bungalow homes.

Rescuers were still searching for two people reported missing at the campsite.

Another two people died in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, where Tuesday's storms inundated hundreds of homes and workplaces in several neighbourhoods.

The victims in Istanbul included a 32-year-old Guinean citizen who was trapped inside his basement apartment in the low-income Kucukcekmece district, Turkish broadcaster HaberTurk TV reported.

The other was a 57-year-old woman who died after being swept away by the floods in another neighbourhood, the private DHA news agency reported.

The surging floodwaters affected more than 1750 homes and businesses in the city, according to the Istanbul governor's office. They included a line of shops in the Ikitelli district, where the deluge dragged parked vehicles and mud into furniture stores, destroying the merchandise, DHA reported.

The floods also engulfed a parking area for containers and trucks on the city's outskirts where people found safety by climbing on to the roof of a restaurant, Turkish media reports said.

In Greece, a record rainfall caused at least two deaths near the port city of Volos and three people were reported missing. The fire department said one man was killed when a wall buckled and fell on him, and the body of a woman was discovered on Wednesday.

Authorities banned traffic in Volos, the nearby mountain region of Pilion and the resort island of Skiathos, where many households remained without electricity on Wednesday.

Traffic was also banned in another two regions of central Greece near Volos, while the storms were forecast to continue until at least Thursday afternoon.

In Bulgaria, a storm caused floods on the country's southern Black Sea coast.

The body of a missing tourist was recovered from the sea on Wednesday, raising the overall death toll to three. Border police vessels and drones were assisting efforts to locate another two people still listed as missing.

TV footage showed cars and camper vans being swept out to sea in the southern resort town of Tsarevo, where authorities declared a state of emergency.

Most of the rivers in the region burst their banks and several bridges were destroyed, causing serious traffic problems.

Tourism minister Zaritsa Dinkova said about 4000 people were affected by the disaster along the entire southern stretch of Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.

"There is a problem transporting tourists because it is dangerous to go by coach on the roads affected by the floods," she added.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store