Storm batters Greece, killing one, flooding homes and disrupting travel

A man walks at a beach during a dust storm in Iraklio, on the southern island of Crete, Greece, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Giorgos Gkratsos)

ATHENS -- A man died and dozens of homes were flooded after heavy rain and gale-force winds battered Greece, leaving authorities rushing to repair damage on Thursday.

Greek authorities have recovered the body of a man in the seaside holiday town of Nea Makri, 35 kilometres (21.75 miles) northeast of Athens, a fire brigade official told Reuters on Thursday. The man was believed to have been carried away by a torrent and trapped under a car as he attempted to cross a flooded street, local media reported.

The fire brigade said it has received hundreds of calls to rescue people trapped in floodwater and help clear roads of fallen trees as the Erminio storm swept through Athens and several islands in the Aegean Sea on Wednesday.

Early on Thursday, crews were still removing debris, pumping water from flooded buildings and repairing damaged infrastructure east of the capital. Authorities also banned some ferries from sailing from the port of Piraeus near Athens to the Greek islands.

On the Mediterranean island of Crete, skies turned an eerie orange on Wednesday as winds of up to force 9 on the Beaufort scale carried dust from North Africa, disrupting flights.

Greece, which sits at Europe’s southernmost tip, has suffered destructive floods and wildfires in recent years, which analysts attribute to a rapidly warming climate.

Reporting by Stamos Prousalis, Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Ros Russell, Reuters