ATHENS, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Severe weather brought heavy rainfall, flooding and gale-force winds to several parts of Greece for a second day, leaving one person dead on the island of Rhodes, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported on Wednesday.
Rhodes was among the worst-affected areas. According to ERT meteorologist Nikoleta Ziakopoulou, rainfall in Rhodes approached 300 millimeters within a few hours. Flooding and power outages were also reported across the island, where firefighters rescued a woman trapped inside her car.
The victim, reportedly a 62-year-old hotel employee, was in one of four cars swept into the sea by floodwaters. He was later found dead near the area where the torrent flows into the sea, according to local media reports.
On the island of Evia, the Kireas River overflowed its banks, damaging roads and disrupting transport. Several schools were also closed due to the severe weather. On Skiathos, one of the Sporades islands, civil protection teams have to help pump water out of dozens of homes and businesses and remove fallen trees to clear blocked roads.
The Fire Service Operations Centre received 58 calls for assistance in the Attica region and Evia between Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning.
Ferry services were also disrupted, with ships remaining docked at the ports of Piraeus and Lavrio due to gale-force winds reaching force 10 on the Beaufort scale.
According to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected across much of Greece on Wednesday, with the severe weather expected to ease on Thursday.
