Heavy rains cause flooding and damage in Crete, Greece

Intense rains caused flooding and significant damage in Crete, Greece's largest island, forcing the evacuation of some tourists, authorities announced this Saturday (3).

"We have serious problems, a massive volume of water has accumulated," the mayor of Ierapetra, Emmanouil Fragkoulis, told the AFP news agency, after the town was hit by storms.

According to the mayor, several roads were blocked and covered in debris washed away by the floods. A woman was taken to hospital as a precaution and some tourists had to be evacuated from the area.

In Chania, one of Crete's main tourist centers, the historic Venetian port suffered damage due to strong sea waves, which also hit restaurants and other establishments linked to tourism.

Civil Defense authorities asked residents in several localities to limit their movements and go to elevated areas.

Rescue teams were working to clear roads affected by small landslides and the accumulation of materials washed away by the rains.

On a road between Ierapetra and Sitia, on the northeast coast, 23 people were trapped inside their vehicles, according to public television ERT.

Additionally, a taxi carrying three tourists was swept away by floodwaters before becoming blocked against an embankment, allowing the driver and passengers to escape unharmed.

The rains also left eight employees at the Samaria Gorges national park, one of the island's main natural attractions, isolated, according to the ANA agency.

Authorities assured that they were in a safe place and had food, medicine and shelter.

Crete remained on red alert this Saturday, the highest level of meteorological surveillance.

In the department of Chania, 420 millimeters of rain were recorded between Friday (2) and Saturday afternoon (3), according to the National Observatory of Athens.

Strong winds in the Aegean Sea also forced the suspension of part of maritime traffic, keeping numerous ferries docked in the ports of Piraeus, Lavrio and Rafina for much of the day.