ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A man has drowned and people are reported missing as storms hit Crete, causing rivers to overflow and flooding in parts of Greece’s largest island on Saturday.
The worst damage appears to have occurred in the coastal town of Agia Pelagia, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) northwest of Iraklio, Crete’s largest city. This is where firefighters found the 50-year-old man, whose car had been swept away by raging waters.
The Athens state news agency said a woman believed to be in the same vehicle is missing. Coast Guard divers and the fire department’s Special Disaster Unit are looking for her.
Hurricane-force winds are also blowing across most of the island.
Footage showed at least 10 cars floating in rough seas off the narrow Agia Pelagia beach and other debris, including a refrigerator. Firefighters rescued a woman trapped inside her car before she was swept out to sea. Authorities said they were investigating more missing person reports and feared other people may have been trapped in their cars.
Residents of the Lasithi area, on the eastern side of the island, have been warned via SMS text messages not to leave their homes. In the city of Chania, on the western tip of the island, houses have been flooded, according to regional officials.
In the far eastern city of Sitia, about 265 kilometers (165 miles) from Chania, four people were trapped in two vehicles and nine others, eight tourists and a guard, were trapped inside the city’s archaeological museum, he said. the local police.
In Iraklio itself, several roads are flooded and the city’s international airport has closed because its runways are under water.
“No one can say when flights will resume,” airport manager Giorgos Pliakas told a local news site.
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