Heavy storms cause serious damages
A car splashes through water yesterday at Malakasa, on the main national road linking southern and northern Greece, during the third day of storms affecting all of Greece. Continuous heavy rain caused a deep pond to form there on Sunday, trapping dozens of drivers and closing the highway for hours. Yesterday, Costas Laliotis – from 1993 and until last month public works minister – blamed the mess on New Democracy and Hellenic Railways, both of which denied responsibility. Meanwhile, the weekend storms killed a monk and an Albanian laborer in northern Attica on Sunday, while on Saturday a gale blew a woman off her roof to her death in the western Peloponnesian village of Lehaina. The Turkish foreign minister arrives tomorrow evening for a two-day visit which was to focus on agreements for joint diplomatic training schemes and the creation of a common unit to handle natural disasters. In the spirit of relaxed bonhomie assiduously cultivated by Cem and Papandreou over the past two years, the Turkish foreign minister will open an exhibition of his travel photos at the Athens municipal art gallery.
