Crete: Man dies, woman missing after flash floods hit Greek island

A man died and a woman was missing after their car was carried away in flash floods which hit the north coast of the Greek island of Crete on Saturday, Greek authorities said.

The Greek fire brigade said they recovered the man from a vehicle that had been washed into the sea after torrential rain at the village of Agia Pelagia in the region of Heraklion.

Images showed cars floating or partially submerged along with small fishing boats in muddy sea waters off Agia Pelagia.

The fire brigade has received hundreds of calls to bring people to safety or pump water out of flooded buildings on the island, a fire brigade official said.

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Authorities said they were investigating more reports of missing people and fear others may have been trapped in their cars.

Inhabitants in the area of Lasithi, on the east side of the island, have been warned by text messages not to leave their homes.

In the city of Chania, on the western end of the island, houses have been flooded, according to regional officials.

In the city of Sitia, on the eastern end, four people were trapped in two vehicles and nine others — eight tourists and a guard — were trapped inside the town’s archaeological museum, local police said.

In Iraklio, several roads are flooded and the city’s international airport has closed because its runways are underwater.

“No one can tell when flights will resume,” airport manager Giorgos Pliakas told a local news site. — Reuters/AP