The evacuation of tourists from Greece is currently not possible because the highways are closed, Serbian Ambassador to Greece Dušan Spasojević confirmed for B92.net.
As he stated, storms are slowly abating, however, it is still not possible for Serbian tourists to return or evacuate, because the roads are closed.
"Most of the roads are closed, as the water has overflowed and the torrent has washed away part of the roads and bridges. The national highway, which leads from Athens to Thessaloniki, is closed in two places and it is definitely not safe to drive on it. Moreover, many alternative roads are closed, which lead to the north. The only road that is open for now and you can go from Athens to Serbia is the Ionian highway, however, since the storm is moving from east to west, the question is whether it will also be closed," he says. Spasojević also emphasizes that the Serbian embassy is in constant contact with the police and that tourists are informed in a timely manner about all new situations.
He also stated that he spoke with the director of the police and that the advice to all tourists is to stay in their current locations, if they are safe. "Evacuation is only carried out if someone's life is in danger. We are in non-stop contact with all our tourists, of whom there are about 110 in the Volos region alone, who came organized through two agencies. There was often no electricity and water in that area, but we are in constant contact with them. They are safe, no one is injured, which is the most important thing," says the ambassador and appeals to all Serbian tourists to remain patient and wait for the situation to calm down and then head back to Serbia.
"Many are asking us for help or evacuation, we will do everything in our power, however, this is not possible at the moment because practically the entire country is closed. And if the bus were to go to pick them up from Serbia, it would not be able to reach certain places. Somewhere airports are closed, and in some places tourists could not even get to the airport due to blocked roads. We are waiting for the situation to calm down, for the storm to stop. The most important thing is to save lives," Spasojević told B92.net.
"We are in contact with all competent authorities, above all with the police and emergency services and the traffic police. Everyone calls for patience. We also had four situations where families' cars were swept into the sea by torrents. The agency gave a guarantee that transportation was sent at an adequate time", says the Serbian ambassador in Greece and predicts the end of this agony.
He said that there were a couple of cases where people started on the road, but then the rescue services had to respond, because they got stuck.
Spasojević added that the rainfall is expected to stop today and that the rehabilitation of the roads will begin.
"In the east of the country, the rain has almost completely stopped, it is expected to stop raining this afternoon, according to meteorologists. Therefore, it is expected that the rehabilitation of the roads will start immediately after that and that the roads will be passable during the evening and the next morning. Certain directions will be cleaned at the same day or the next morning. We will monitor the situation and inform everyone in a timely manner, and all our citizens have a duty embassy number that we have published on our website and on social media. We are available 24 hours, seven days a week for anyone who has any questions or they find themselves in some kind of trouble. Therefore, I urge them to call that number whatever they might need and just be patient," concludes Spasojević in a statement for our portal.
Let us remind you that in Greece, the number of victims of storm Daniel has increased to three, and another four people are being searched for, Greek media reported today. According to Kathimerini, the latest victim is an elderly man who was found dead in the area of Thessaly.
The 82-year-old man was found unconscious under a car in the area of Elinopyrgos, after he was swept away by a torrent caused by stormy rains after leaving the house. Earlier, the fire service announced that the body of an elderly woman was found near the coast.
