Floodwaters have submerged vast swathes of farmland in north-eastern Greece after days of heavy rainfall caused the Evros river to swell and breach embankments. Around 6,000 hectares (60 square kilometres) of the municipality of Soufli's riverside zone are now underwater in one of the most severe flooding episodes to hit the area in recent years.
According to Soufli mayor Panagiotis Kalakikos, embankments broke first at Kornofolia and later at Mandra, forcing civil protection teams to focus on shielding residential areas. Water crossed the railway line at Pythio and reached the first houses in the village, while concern is mounting for the settlement of Lavara, where floodwaters have entered courtyards.
Farmers face the loss of an entire year's work, as more than 500 hectares of agricultural land are already estimated to have suffered significant damage, turning into what officials describe as a vast inland sea. Movement in the affected riverside zone has been banned to prevent accidents and possible entrapments, AMNA reported, as emergency services, including the region's fire brigade, police and army, assist local authorities.
"Almost 60,000 stremmata (60 square kilometres) from Tychero to Amorio have been flooded, and agricultural land across the entire riverside area has been inundated. The priority is that settlements are not put at risk and that homes are protected, but the volume of water is increasing," Kalakikos said. He warned that the "big danger" would come with further rainfall. "If it rains, we will not be able to remove the water, as additional water is also coming from melting snow," he noted, adding that pumps have already been operating for 10 days in Mandra and other settlements.
Beyond the immediate agricultural losses, local infrastructure, including rural roads, irrigation channels and field networks, has been damaged in a region repeatedly hit by extreme weather. In a social media post, the mayor also highlighted similar scenes across the border in Turkey, stressing that floods "do not recognise borders". He noted: "In such moments we remember that, beyond borders and differences, we all share the same pain and the same hope: to protect what we built with effort and to remain standing."
