Water level at Lake Karla subsiding but Volos without safe drinking water for 13th day

In a small glimmer of hope for the flood-stricken residents of Magnesia, the level of the water at Lake Karla appeared to be gradually subsiding on Sunday, eliminating fears of further flooding in villages close to the lake.

The amount of water being fed into the lake by the Pinios River had fallen, while an 11-kilometre tunnel that drains the water of the lake to the Pagasetic Gulf had opened. Villagers remained vigilant, however, as the floods had raised the level of the lake higher than in 1962, when work to drain it began.

Problems persisted in the city of Volos, the capital of Magnesia, where the water supply remained unsafe for drinking for the 13th consecutive day and many neighbourhoods were still covered in mud. The mud also created problems with air quality as it dried, becoming a fine white dust that covered everything.

Meanwhile, the shores of the Pagasetic Gulf remained covered in vast quantities of flotsam and jetsam, making it impossible for those wishing to swim to reach the sea. The Laskaridis Foundation has been asked to send the ship "Typhoon" to help clean the area's beaches. The "Typhoon" has already operated in Pelio, clearing debris at Ai Giannis and Papa Nero.