Rescue efforts continue in Greece following deadly floods after torrential downpours
ITV News Correspondent Neil Connery reports from the outskirts of a flooded Greek village where rescue efforts are ongoing
Rescue crews are continuing to search areas of central Greece for people left stranded by severe flooding.
Heavy rains across the region in recent days have left at least ten people dead, while a further four are still missing. Flooding has also affected neighbouring Bulgaria and Turkey.
Roads and bridges have been washed away in Greece by torrential downpours, which have also caused some dams to burst their banks.
Authorities have said that some areas received twice the average annual rainfall for Athens in the space of 12 hours.
The flooding has been blamed on a type of weather phenomena called an omega block.
Although rainstorms had eased by Friday, floodwater continued to rise after the Pineios River burst its banks near the city of Larissa - one of Greece's largest cities with a population of around 150,000.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he had contacted the European Union (EU) to request financial assistance to help rebuild.
"Our first priority over the next few days is to ensure we can evacuate our fellow citizens from areas where they might be in danger," he said.
Hundreds of people are still thought to be trapped in villages, which emergency responders are unable to reach by land due to flooding.
Videos and pictures have been shared online of helicopter rescue crews winching people to safety.
Greece's fire department said that more than 1,800 people were rescued between Tuesday and Friday morning.
Swift water rescue specialists and divers were also deployed in some areas where floodwaters swelled above two metres.
The flooding has followed on the heels of devastating wildfires which destroyed vast areas of land and left more than 20 people dead.
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