This Is What Greece's Crete Looks Like Right Now

A severe storm battering Greece has left one man dead and turned Crete's sky an eerie orange, reports the BBC. Authorities say the man was found early Thursday under a car in the rural area of Nea Makri, near Athens, as Storm Erminio lashed the country with heavy rain and powerful winds. The system has triggered flooding, downed trees, and disrupted transport, with ferries largely stuck in port and some schools shut. On the island of Poros, a bridge collapsed and vehicles were reportedly swept away; in Nea Makri, streets and even the local police station's basement were inundated.

Further south, Crete has been shrouded in Saharan dust, forcing flight disruptions on Wednesday and giving Heraklion a red-orange haze (Reuters has more photos here). Greece's meteorological service warned of persistent, intense downpours, thunderstorms, and possible hail across much of the country on Thursday, while a red alert was issued for western and southern Crete from midday into the night. The fire service logged 674 calls for help from Wednesday into early Thursday, mostly in the wider Athens region and mainly related to fallen trees.