A 62-year-old man has died after his car was swept onto a beach by torrential floodwaters on the Greek island of Rhodes. The incident happened in Stegna, around 20 miles from Rhodes Town, early on Wednesday afternoon, as a severe storm battered parts of Greece.
Record rainfall and emergency response
The island was hit by exceptionally heavy rainfall, with Greece's public broadcaster ERT reporting that more than 200mm of rain fell in six and a half hours. The Greek fire service said emergency crews received 113 calls on Rhodes by 4pm local time, carrying out 64 water-pumping operations and evacuating 13 people to safety.
The man had gone to retrieve his car after torrents of water rushed down a hillside and swept away four vehicles, including his own, according to residents who spoke to the MEGA TV channel. His body was later found among reeds and debris by locals. The Greek coast guard confirmed that a man had been found unconscious in the waters off Stegna, where it said four cars had been swept away by the floodwaters.
Tourist sites closed as precaution
Several major tourist attractions on the island were closed from 12.30pm local time as a precaution to protect visitors and staff. They included the archaeological sites of Lindos, Kamiros and the Acropolis of Ialysos-Filerimos, as well as the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes and the Palace of the Grand Master, according to Greek news outlet Protothema.
The storm also caused widespread flooding and disruption in other parts of Greece. The main area under a red weather warning for severe rain and thunderstorms was Evia, a large island north-east of Athens. In Evia, overflowing rivers caused extensive flooding and serious damage to roads.
Wider disruption across Greece
Disruption was also reported across the Sporades islands and parts of the Attica region, including central Athens, Piraeus, Perama and Megara. Heavy rain also flooded roads, shops and homes on Skiathos island, while torrents of water poured down from mountainous areas on neighbouring Skopelos, putting further pressure on the road network and causing power supply issues.
According to ERT, rainfall reached around 310mm in Steni, on the island of Evia, 258mm on Skopelos and 173mm in Ippokrateios Politeia within just a few hours. On Rhodes, rainfall totals reached 280mm. Meanwhile, around 29,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the Aegean.
Conditions are expected to improve gradually before further rain and thunderstorms hit eastern Thessaly, the Sporades, Evia and Central Greece from Friday evening into Saturday afternoon.
