Galery

1

The violent storm and torrential rains that poured over Rhodes on Thursday and Friday took two victims and a man is missing. The tragedy took place near the village of Yalisou. Around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, three teachers from the local school got in a silver Nissan Almera car, in order to return to their homes. While crossing the bridge over a small river, the car was suddenly carried away by flood waters of the creek that had flooded the bridge. All three of them jumped out of the car. One of the teachers, a man aged 30, managed to grab the railing of the bridge and hold on until passers-by saw him, called the fire service and saved him.

The other two teachers, however, were not so lucky. In the early morning on Saturday, the body of a 27-year-old woman, one of the passengers in the car, was found in the sea near the village of Kremasti. The third passenger, a 50-year-old English teacher is still missing. On Friday evening, at the same creek near the village of Yalisou, the body of another woman, aged 40, was found but she had not travelled by car, but walked near the river.

Heavy rains and violent winds have caused huge material damage. There are hundreds of flooded buildings and the road surface in many places in Rhodes has been destroyed; the power supply on the island has been cut off. By decision of the governor of the southern Aegean islands and the mayor of the island of Rhodes, a state of emergency has been declared. Mayor Stathis Kousournas said on Skai TV that there has not been such a storm on the island since 1985.

Additional police and fire units have been transferred from Athens and the neighbouring islands in order to help in the search for the missing man.

To be continued.