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Austrian Newlyweds Missing In Greece Floods

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ATHENS/VIENNA/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – An Austrian couple on honeymoon remained missing late Thursday in central Greece after record rains swept away the house they were staying in, authorities said.

The couple, named only as Philip and Michaela from Graz, Austria, disappeared earlier this week while sheltering inside the bungalow they rented for their honeymoon, recalled the accommodation owner, Thanasis Samaras.

But the house in the beach resort of Potistika, near Mount Pelion, was then washed into the sea by flash floods, he and emergency workers said.

Samaras explained that he and other guests had left for higher ground and had advised the couple to do the same. “But

“I can’t believe it. The couple had been staying here for three weeks, and as soon as they arrived, they got married in [the Greek village of] Argalasti,” Samaras told Greek media. But the couple, who he said were in their 30s, “refused” as “they thought they were safe” inside the house.

COUPLE LOST?

“They’ve come on holiday many times. I think they are lost; I’m going crazy. I can’t believe they could have drowned,” he added.

The newlyweds were among several missing people, as many in central Greece were trapped on the roofs of their houses after floods set whole villages under water, officials said.

More than a dozen people are now known to have died since Storm Daniel hit Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria this week.

There was some good news as emergency teams in nearby Potistica rescued six people from inside a tavern, Greek media reported.

“We thought Philip and Michaela would be among them, but no,” Samaras said as emergency crews continued their search for the newlyweds and others.