Heavy rains slash Greek island, villages evacuated at north

A British woman drowned during heavy torrential rainfall at the Greek island of Symi in southeastern Aegean sea, while locals evacuated four villages at the north at the borderline with Turkey and Bulgaria on Tuesday, as water levels at Evros river increased. The 40-year-old British national who lived at Symi was swept away by rushing waters, as she was trying to ride her motorbike, according to Greek media reports. Locals added that at the time of the incident, she was accompanied by a young boy who was saved. Three people trapped in a car were saved by rescue teams near Sperchios river in central Greece under similar circumstances a few hours earlier, according to local media. An 80-year-old Greek woman died in a mudslide caused by heavy rainfall in western Greece on Sunday, as the country is hit by a new bad weather front. A wide area around Evros river in northern Greece was placed in a state of emergency over the past few hours, and dozens of local residents were evacuated from their homes, as waters flooded the banks. Greek authorities are on alert after the collapse of a dam in neighbouring Bulgaria that resulted in the overflow of Evros. Meteorologists noted that the level of rainfall recorded this week in many parts of Greece is the highest in a decade, as storms caused electricity power cuts for some hours in urban zones and disruptions in traffic even in national highways due to flooding.