By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-14 20:25:54 | Updated at 2026-10-16 01:03:53
1 day ago
Roads in Ialysos, Faliraki, Afandou and Archangelos were submerged, leaving dozens of cars stranded
A hotel worker has been killed on the Greek island of Rhodes after flash floods swept his vehicle onto a beach during a ferocious rainstorm.
Coastguard officers recovered the 62-year-old's body in Stegna, a coastal village roughly 20 miles south of Rhodes Town.
He reportedly tried to retrieve his car near the beach in Archangelos when surging floodwaters caught him.
Four vehicles in total were dragged into the sea by the torrent, with firefighters and coastguard personnel searching the shoreline.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency across Rhodes, and schools on the island will remain closed tomorrow for inspections and damage assessments.
Rhodes bore the brunt of the storm, with the National Observatory of Athens recording 202mm of rain in just six and a half hours, reaching 264mm by early afternoon.
Emergency services responded to more than 100 distress calls, carried out 13 evacuations, and performed 64 water-pumping operations across the island.
Roads in Ialysos, Faliraki, Afandou and Archangelos were submerged, leaving dozens of cars stranded.
A massive rockslide blocked the Archangelos-Malona road, damaging the surface and safety barriers, while a bridge was temporarily closed.
Lightning struck a house in Ialysos, sparking a fire, and knocked out a regional broadcaster's electrical system.
Major tourist attractions including the Palace of the Grand Master and the archaeological site at Lindos were closed.
Ferry departures from Piraeus and Lavrio were suspended as gale-force winds hit force 10 on the Beaufort scale.
Beyond Rhodes, the storm inflicted significant damage on other Greek islands.
On Skiathos, floodwaters carried away cars, inundated businesses, and ripped up stretches of road, affecting as many as 50 commercial premises and 20 homes.
Skiathos mayor Thodoris Tzoumas said: "The rain and winds continue. We are carrying out repairs to the main network, where we have some power outages. We had some trees fall and two cars have been swept away, while schools are closed. The phenomenon seems to be subsiding."
On Evia, the Kireas River burst its banks, severing a key road link and prompting evacuation orders directing residents towards Psachna.
Code red weather alerts were issued across seven regions, encompassing Crete, Attica, Evia and the South Aegean.
Cyprus has also been placed under an orange weather warning, with forecasters alerting residents to the risk of severe thunderstorms, strong gusts and hail.
The deadly weather marks Greece's second bout of devastating storms in a fortnight.
Weeks earlier, floods ravaged Crete, destroying infrastructure, crops and livestock, and a 79-year-old shepherd was found dead.
A 58-year-old German tourist also lost his life after being struck by lightning on a Rhodes beach.
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas confirmed the storms had caused widespread destruction nationwide, including toppled trees, flooding and power cuts across multiple regions.
Greece's national meteorological service expected conditions to ease by Thursday, though authorities remained on high alert.
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