An elderly farmer has died and several others have been injured after severe thunderstorms triggered flash floods on the Greek island of Crete.
An urgent red alert has been put in place until Sunday by the country’s meteorological service, as the island continues to be battered by the extreme weather.
The widespread floods have caused significant damage to roads, properties and farms and forced the closure of several schools across the island.
A livestock farmer, in his eighties, was found dead on Thursday afternoon after he was reportedly swept away by floods in the Rethymno region.
Local media have reported that a couple were also hospitalised after a bridge in the region of Rethymno collapsed, causing their car to fall into the riverbed.
According to reports, firefighters have received more than 250 calls from people across the island, and dozens of residents have had to be rescued.
Giorgos Klados, the mayor of Mylopotamos in Rethymno, where a state of emergency has been declared, described the situation as “tragic.”
He told Cretalive: “I am 50 years old and I don’t remember anything like this happening before.
“The bridge is gone, the river took half of it, and the car fell into the riverbed. Thankfully, there were no casualties.”
The National Meteorological Service (EMY) said a red alert means people must “be vigilant and act on the advice of the relevant authorities”.
In its forecast, it said: “Deterioration of the weather is forecast from Wednesday in the east and south of the country with locally heavy rains and storms, mainly in Crete, as well as very gusty winds in the Aegean.”
The General Secretariat for Civil Protection also placed Crete under a red code until Sunday.
Locals are now urging authorities to take immediate action to prevent further damage in the future.
In an open letter, Giofyros and Xiropotamos residents said: “We express our indignation toward the authorities, the municipality, the region, and the state, for mobilising to clear the streams only when severe weather is already underway, having left the areas surrounding the Giofyros and Xiropotamos streams unprotected for so long.
“Must we wait for bad weather to strike, for streams to swell and danger to arise, before common-sense interventions are made, especially when this situation has persisted for decades while everyone turns a blind eye? Are they waiting for a casualty before taking civil protection measures?
“At some point, the residents deserve an answer as to why no measures are being taken,” it added.
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