Greece | Destructive floods devastate the island of Crete

(Athens) Vehicles swept away, streets invaded by mud and water: destructive floods on the island of Crete, in the south of Greece, left one dead on Saturday and one missing, and caused significant damage, according to the firefighters.

A man in his 50s died, trapped in his car when torrential rains began to fall on Saturday morning in the region of Heraklion, the main city of Crete located on the north coast of the island.

At the end of the day, the emergency services were still looking for the other passenger in the vehicle who managed to get out of the vehicle. These two people were traveling to Heraklion to work, according to the public television channel ERT.

According to the firefighters, who received 453 calls in an hour on Saturday morning, a woman, also stuck in her car, was slightly injured.

Eight tourists and a guard, whom bad weather blocked in the archaeological museum of Sitia, were also rescued by firefighters.

From 10:30 a.m. local (3:30 a.m. ET), a deluge of rain fell on northeastern Crete, in particular on the region of Heraklion whose airport according to the ERT channel was temporarily closed. firm.

Roads filled with mud and quickly turned into a river, carrying vehicles for miles, later found in the sea, or piled on top of each other, upside down or straddling walls.

Alert in Rhodes

The Deputy Minister of the Interior was expected on the spot on Sunday.

In the seaside resort of Agia Pelagia, the otherwise idyllic sandy beach offered a desolate landscape.

The vehicles swept away by the rising waters and overturned scattered on the seafront where the rescuers, including divers, were busy among the debris strewing the beach.

The alleys of the seaside village were invaded by a spectacular mudslide and waste carried by the storm.

More than 15 shops, mostly luxury restaurants, were damaged, in Agia Pelagia which usually caters to wealthy customers, according to ERT.

In the village, backhoes were busy clearing the roads.

All day Saturday, rescuers and firefighters were deployed in the region to help the distraught residents in the face of these exceptional floods.

All the gorges, popular hiking spots for tourists, have been closed until further notice.

Asked about the Skai television channel, the mayor of Sitia judged that “the situation was out of control”, explaining that “these phenomena in the region were exceptional”.

Local media report extensive damage in other seaside villages where the streets have become veritable rivers carrying away everything in their path and where several homes have had to be evacuated.

The sub-prefect of the region, Nikos Syrigonakis, called on its inhabitants to “limit their movements”. “It’s a tough day,” he added.

Civil protection, placed on alert, asked the population to be vigilant for the day on Sunday in Crete and in the surrounding islands, Rhodes, Karpathos, Kastellorizo ​​and Kassos.

“For the moment, the (weather) phenomenon seems to have moved towards the east of Crete and precipitation is already recorded in Karpathos and Kasos,” firefighter spokesman Yannis Artapoyos told the media.

All forces in Rhodes, Karpathos, Kasos and Kastelorizo ​​are on high alert for possible flooding.