OMM Newsroom
A 62-year-old man died on Wednesday after heavy rain and flooding on the Greek island of Rhodes. Floodwaters swept his car into the sea, inundated roads across the island and disrupted traffic.
According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, four cars were swept into the water. The man was found unconscious at Stegna Beach, near Archangelos on the island’s eastern coast. He could not be saved despite emergency efforts.
Local media reported that the man worked at a hotel and had gone to retrieve his car when it was swept away by floodwaters.
Flooding affected several areas of the island, including Ialysos, Afandou, Faliraki and Archangelos. Cars were left stranded on roads, making travel difficult.
Authorities closed several roads, including the route between Archangelos and Malonas, after a large rock fell onto it, damaging the road surface and safety barriers. A bridge near Archangelos was also temporarily closed as a precaution.
An emergency alert urged residents and visitors to avoid unnecessary travel and follow official instructions. Rhodes Mayor Alexandros Koliadis called on people not to cross flooded roads or rivers, either by car or on foot.
According to the National Observatory of Athens, the meteorological station on Rhodes had recorded 264 millimeters of rain by 12:50 p.m. on Wednesday. Of that total, 202 millimeters fell in about six and a half hours.
Lightning sparked a fire at a home in Ialysos. Another strike damaged the electrical system at the regional station of Greece’s public broadcaster ERT, briefly interrupting broadcasts.
Schools and municipal sports facilities were closed, and some bus services were suspended.
Forecasters said heavy rain and thunderstorms would continue in parts of eastern and southern Greece through Wednesday evening. Strong northerly and northeasterly winds were also expected in the Aegean Sea.
