Traffic has been seriously disrupted in many areas of Thessaloniki and Halkidiki as severe weather batters northern Greece.

Hundreds of vehicles and lorries were stuck in the middle of the road after a torrent cut Egnatia, the longest highway in Greece on Friday night.

Operations to free trapped drivers are underway.

Hundreds of vehicles and lorries stuck in the middle of the road when a torrent entered and cut Egnatia, longest highway in Greece on Friday night 15/10. The Egnatia highway in the direction of Thessaloniki was closed by rocks and mud that came down with momentum from the surrounding mountains at the point of Lake Volvi, while the severe weather system "Ballos" sweeps the whole area. Drivers managed to stop and reverse just before being swept away by the rushing water that suddenly invaded in the road. "It was a very dangerous moment, we were signaled by vehicles from the opposite lane to stop. Many vehicles were found suddenly in the waters and mud, they managed to go backwards the last moment" says a lorry driver name Stellios on camera (timestamp 02:10). Hundreds of people waited on the highway for hours in torrential rain, while to ease the situation, police advised drivers to move in the opposite direction while the queue of stopped vehicles reached 10 km.