THE NUMBER OF confirmed deaths from flooding in central Greece has risen to 15 after the bodies of four people previously considered missing were found, authorities said.

Three bodies were located in villages near the city of Karditsa in western Thessaly. An 88-year-old woman and her 65-year-old son were found in their home, and a 58-year-old man was found between two villages.

The coastguard said today that the body of a 42-year-old man, missing since Tuesday, was found floating in the sea near the city of Volos. He was last seen in his car unable to control it in raging waters.

Greece’s fire service said that since flooding hit central Greece on Tuesday it has evacuated nearly 3,500 people. Rescue efforts continue.

The flooding appears to have subsided, although the Pineios river, the major waterway in Thessaly, is rising at its mouth, Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said on Sunday evening.

The coastguard said it rescued 335 people stranded in the Pelion peninsula between Thursday and Saturday.