Man drowns as storms batter Greek island of Crete

ATHENS, Greece — A person drowned and there are stories of lacking individuals as storms batter Crete, inflicting rivers to overflow and flooding areas throughout Greece’s largest island on Saturday.

The worst harm appears to have been performed within the seaside city of Agia Pelagia, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) northwest of Iraklio, Crete’s largest metropolis. That is the place firefighters discovered the 50-year-old man, whose automobile had been swept up by raging waters.

The state-run Athens Information Company mentioned {that a} girl who was reportedly in the identical car is lacking. Divers from the coast guard and the fireplace division’s Particular Catastrophe Unit are trying to find her.

Gale pressure winds are additionally blowing throughout a lot of the island.

Footage confirmed not less than 10 vehicles floating within the turbulent sea off Agia Pelagia’s slim seashore and different particles, together with a fridge. Firefighters rescued a girl trapped inside her automobile earlier than it was swept into the ocean. Authorities mentioned they had been investigating extra stories of lacking individuals and worry others could have been trapped of their vehicles.

Inhabitants within the space of Lasithi, on the east aspect of the island, have been warned by SMS textual content messages to not depart their houses. Within the metropolis of Chania, on the western finish of the island, homes have been flooded, based on regional officers.

Within the metropolis of Sitia, on the japanese finish, about 265 kilometers (165 miles) from Chania, 4 individuals had been trapped in two automobiles and 9 others — eight vacationers and a guard — had been trapped contained in the city’s archaeological museum, native police mentioned.

In Iraklio itself, a number of roads are flooded and the town’s worldwide airport has closed, as a result of its runways are underwater.

“Nobody can inform when flights will resume,” airport supervisor Giorgos Pliakas instructed an area information website.