A powerful storm in the Aegean Sea has triggered flash flooding on the Greek holiday island of Paros.
Torrential rain in the tourist towns of Parikia and Naousa caused floodwaters that surged through streets, carrying cars and debris past whitewashed buildings late on Monday.
The flooding was less severe on nearby Mykonos, also a popular holiday destination, where excavators were used to clear a path for floodwater, and it gushed past seafront cafes and restaurants.
Hailstorms saw grasslands blanketed with white balls of ice.
An emergency travel ban has been imposed on all traffic except emergency vehicles on both islands, and schools have been closed.
The severe weather continued on Tuesday, with heavy rainfall also reported on the islands of Chios, Samos and Crete, with roads flooded, vehicles swept away, and property damaged, according to local media.
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On Paros, 13 people stranded in the storm were taken home by firefighters, but no one was reported injured or missing, while authorities are struggling to remove vehicles left stranded by the muddy waters.
Almost the entire road network has been heavily disrupted, shops near the coast are flooded, and boats and nets have been swept away, according to public broadcaster ERT.
The island’s mayor Costas Bizas told the broadcaster: “All this catastrophe happened in two hours.
“Roads have been damaged, and we need help with more machines so that we can clear the streets.”
Christos Veronis, the mayor of Mykonos, told ERT he wanted a state of emergency to be declared on the island.
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Greece has been ravaged by floods in recent years, with scientists blaming the extreme weather on warming waters amid rising global temperatures.
A devastating storm killed 17 people and caused extensive damage across the central agricultural region of Thessaly in 2023.
