Storms and Saharan Dust Hit Greece as Man Dies Near Athens
A man has died near the Greek capital as a severe weather front dubbed Storm Erminio batters the country, unleashing torrential rain, gale-force winds and a thick blanket of Saharan dust that has severely disrupted daily life.
Emergency responders discovered the victim trapped beneath a vehicle in the coastal town of Nea Makri in East Attica early on Thursday. Local fire department officials confirmed the fatality but have not yet released the man’s identity or the exact circumstances surrounding his death.
Flash floods and infrastructure damage
The fierce weather system has wreaked havoc across the region. Flash floods inundated streets, forced numerous schools to shut their doors and left commercial ferries grounded at harbours.
In Nea Makri, the deluge was severe enough to submerge the basement of the local police station. On the Saronic Gulf island of Poros, raging floodwaters obliterated a bridge and swept several parked vehicles away.
Saharan dust blankets Crete
Further south on the island of Crete, a massive plume of dust blown north from the Sahara Desert enveloped the region on Wednesday. The airborne sand turned the sky an eerie red-orange hue, drastically reducing visibility and forcing the delay of multiple flights.
Such dust storms are a recurring meteorological phenomenon in the eastern Mediterranean when strong southerly winds drag arid African air across the sea, but they often pose significant logistical challenges and respiratory health risks.
Ongoing alerts and emergency response
Greece’s national meteorological service has warned residents to brace for continued extreme weather throughout Thursday, forecasting widespread heavy downpours, severe thunderstorms and localised hailstorms. Authorities have issued a rare red alert for western and southern Crete that remains in effect from midday until late into the evening.
The Greek fire service reported receiving 674 emergency calls between Wednesday and Thursday morning. The vast majority of these appeals originated from the greater Attica region encompassing Athens and primarily involved clearing fallen trees and pumping water from flooded properties.
Maritime authorities have kept ships tied up at port due to the howling winds, temporarily severing crucial transport links to the Greek islands. Officials stated that some ferry services might be allowed to resume later in the day if sea conditions safely improve.
