A man tragically lost his life due to the severe gale-force winds and flooding brought by Storm Erminio in Greece. The man, aged in his 50s, was discovered beneath a car in the Nea Makri rural area of Athens early today, after being swept away from his flooded basement flat.
Storm Erminio caused widespread flooding in streets, school closures, and flight disruptions on Crete as a Saharan dust storm colored the skies red-orange. The national weather service EMY issued a red warning for most parts of Greece, predicting severe weather with heavy rain, thunderstorms, and potential hailstorms.
Red alerts were issued for various regions including the eastern Peloponnese, Central Greece, Evia, Thessaly, Attica, and the Dodecanese, while an orange warning was in place for the Cyclades and the eastern Aegean islands. Temperatures were expected to drop significantly across the affected areas.
In Crete, a red warning was declared for the west and south regions, leading to flight reroutes and disruptions. The fire departments in Rhodes and Kos received numerous distress calls related to flooding, fallen trees, and damage caused by power cable incidents.
At the main airport in Heraklion, Crete, flights were grounded due to poor visibility caused by the dense dust cloud. Several flights had to be rerouted to different destinations, impacting air travel operations on the island.
Dramatic incidents were reported, including a tornado flipping a truck in Pachia Ammos and massive waves hitting houses in Ierapetra. Authorities anticipated the dust wave to dissipate later in the day as Storm Erminio continued to affect Greece with heavy rainfall and strong winds.
