Update: Six Dead Following Strong Storms In Halkidiki, Greece. Two Romanians Among The Victims, a third is injured

Two Romanians, a woman and a 8-year-old boy, have died after the roof of a restaurant in Nea Plagia, Halkidiki, Greece, had collapsed due to extreme storms (strong wind, rainfalls and hailstorms) that affected northern Greece on Wednesday evening, foreign news agencies reported.

The Romanians were in a tavern in Nea Plagia when the storm had taken the roof. Greek authorities have  not established yet if the two Romanians, a 54-year-old woman and a 8-year-old boy, were related.

The two Romanian citizens were having dinner in the tavern when the roof collapsed. Witnesses recounted the wind was so strong that took the boy up in the air and threw him against one of the tavern’s windows when he tried to ran away to escape. The boy was eventually pronounced dead at the hospital.

As for the 54yo woman, her body was found under the debris. Witnesses said they tried to save everyone they could, but, unfortunately, they could not reach the Romanian woman.

Romanian Foreign Ministry has got in touch with the embassy in Athens to obtain official information.

A third Romanian citizen was injured after the storm on Wednesday in Halkidiki, and was transported to hospital, a press release from the Foreign Ministry informs.

Other two old aged Czech citizens have been killed after a gust of wind had swept away their van in Propontida. Other two Russians, a man and his minor son, have also lost their lives after a tree had collapsed near a hotel in Potidea town, in Kassandra resort, 70km away from Thessaloniki.

Port Police announced that a 60yo fisherman has gone missing.

Over 100 people were injured due to strong wind, rainfalls and storms that affected northern Greece, with local authorities declaring state of emergency in Halkidiki. At least 140 firemen were deployed in the area.

The local Civil Protection authority said that the weather phenomena in Halkidiki are unprecedented.

Witnesses reported it was practically a tornado that lasted no more than 20 minutes, but which wreaked havoc. Others characterized it as a supercell (a thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone: a deep, persistently rotating updraft. For this reason, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms).

Romanian meteorologist Simona Capsuna told Digi24 that storms on the Mediterranean coast are unusual for this time of the year, as it’s the dry season now. However, she announced a new cyclone is expected soon in Greece, Italy, but also on the Black Sea region.

Halkidiki region is very popular among tourists, luring visitors around the world, with many Romanians favoring Greece as well as a summer holiday destination.

Greece has usually made the headlines for the wildfires. 74 people died in wildfires in the Attica region around Athens last summer, in Greece’s worst fire disaster in more than a decade.

More to follow…