Hurricane ravages Greece: ‘Sinking yacht fierce to see’ | Abroad

The Greek authorities had already warned that the storm could develop into a hurricane. The weather service of the Southeast European country had therefore issued ‘code red’. Schools and shops were already closed as a precaution in several areas.

Weather phenomenon is called ‘medicane’

The severe hurricane-force storm, which was given the name Ianos, originated in the waters between Italy and Greece. The weather phenomenon occurs about once every four years and is formally called a ‘medicane’, a Mediterranean hurricane.

The gusts of wind at the Greek holiday island of Zakynthos reached speeds of between 160 and 180 kilometers per hour, with peaks of 200 kilometers. Waves could get as high as ten meters from the power of Ianos. Eyewitnesses spoke of the worst storm in decades.

“It took about eighteen hours”

Job Schouten can confirm that. The Amsterdammer was docked in the port of Zakynthos when the natural disaster erupted. Together with his girlfriend Niki Witjes, cook Patrick Verstift and first officer Knak van der Eijk, he had to pull out all the stops to avoid sinking.

“The storm lasted about 18 hours,” he said from the port of Zakynthos, while the boat’s rental company took the damage. Because the boat he had rented did not come out of the battle unscathed, although he and his friends did everything to prevent it when they were already docked there.

‘Fatigue becomes dangerous’

“Our anchor was not doing well. We wanted to pull the boat forward, but due to the force of the wind, we hit the pier. We tried to keep fenders between the boat and the dock, but of course we got tired at the end. Then it becomes dangerous. ”

Other sailors were less successful. Schouten saw a man on a sailing yacht that continued to sink. “He tried to protect other people. That is quite a sight to see. ” The wharf looked ghostly and deserted.

Villages under water

In the evening and night, three were killed, two elderly women and a farmer. At least one person is also missing. The province of Thessaly was also ravaged by strong gusts of wind and heavy rainfall. Rivers burst their banks and several villages in the area were completely submerged. Rescue teams have been trying to free people from their plight since the onset of the natural disaster.

Ianos also caused a lot of damage, not only to houses but also to bridges and roads. The tropical storm is slowly moving south on Saturday. Crete and surrounding islands may also have to deal with problems. The bad weather is expected to last until Sunday.

Travel Dome ANVR could not indicate on Saturday how many Dutch people are currently on holiday in Greece. Code orange is in effect for the Greek islands due to an increased number of corona infections. Travel to these areas is therefore not recommended.

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