One dead after car swept away in Cretan flood

A 50-year-old man died and an unspecified number of people were missing as thunderstorms lashed several parts of Crete on Friday and Saturday, turning roads into rivers and closing Iraklio’s international airport, state-run news agency AMNA reported.

Local media report that more people may be missing in Agia Pelagia and in the neighboring town of Lygaria, where firefighters rescued a woman from a vehicle that ended up in the sea.

The Fire Service said nine cars have been swept away. The Coast Guard has been called on to participate in the search for missing people.

In Sitia, in eastern Crete, eight tourists and one guard were trapped at the local archaeological museum, while another four people were stuck in two cars, local news websites reported.

The search and rescue effort is being hampered by the winds of force 7 to 8 blowing in the area.

Source: ekathimerini.com