Intense storms across Greece have killed one man close to Athens and turned the skies of Crete bright red.
Storm Erminio swept across Greece on Wednesday, causing gale-force winds and extreme flooding which halted travel and damaged roads and buildings.
A Polish man, reported to be in his 50s, was killed in Nea Makri, north-east of Athens, after he became trapped under a vehicle in rushing flood water, the fire department said.
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There were 674 calls for help from Wednesday overnight into Thursday, the majority of which were in the Attica region, which includes Athens.
Emergency services were seen clearing debris, repairing damaged infrastructure and pumping water out of flooded buildings on Thursday morning.
In Crete, an island off Greece’s southern shore, extreme winds caused a Saharan dust storm which turned the sky red and orange.
Concentrations of more than 1,000 micrograms of particles per cubic metre of air were recorded in some parts of the island, according to the meteorological office.
Sahara dust storms are not uncommon in Crete during the spring and summer months, but they are not typically this severe.
A red weather warning is in place until late Thursday evening, with multiple flights and ferries cancelled over the impaired visibility.
A British Airways flight to Crete from London was rerouted to Corfu, and a Sky Express flight from Brussels landed in Athens.
Sailing is banned, and no ships are departing from the island port of Souda or the mainland port of Piraeus.
Saharan dust clouds are caused when powerful winds lift fine particles of sand from the Sahara Desert up into the atmosphere, which can then be carried overseas.
Sometimes the dust can mix with rain as it falls, becoming red droplets, in what is more commonly known as blood rain.
North Africa also experienced extreme dust storms this week, with Libya’s skies turning bright red and the city of Tobruk issuing a state of emergency on Wednesday.
Tobruk Municipal Council urged citizens to “exercise caution and avoid travel or movement” while visibility is impaired.
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