Man, 62, dies after torrential floods sweep car onto beach on Greek island of Rhodes

Man, 62, dies after torrential floods sweep car onto beach on Greek island of Rhodes A 62-year-old hotel employee died on the Greek island of Rhodes after his car was swept onto a beach by floodwaters as a severe storm battered parts of the country A 62-year-old man has died after his car was swept onto a beach by torrential floodwaters on the Greek island of Rhodes. The incident happened in Stegna, around 20 miles south of Rhodes Town, early on Wednesday afternoon, as a severe storm battered parts of Greece. The island was hit by exceptionally heavy rainfall, with Greece’s public broadcaster ERT reporting that more than 200mm of rain fell in six and a half hours. The Greek fire service said emergency crews received 113 calls on Rhodes by 4pm local time, carrying out 64 water-pumping operations and evacuating 13 people to safety. The man, who worked at a local hotel, had attempted to retrieve his car it was swept by torrents of water, according to residents who spoke to the MEGA TV channel. His body was later found among reeds and debris on the beach, according to ERT. The Greek coast guard confirmed that a man had been found unconscious in the waters off Stegna, where it said four cars had been swept away by the floodwaters. Several major tourist attractions on the island were closed from 12.30pm local time as a precaution to protect visitors and staff. They included the archaeological sites of Lindos, Kamiros and the Acropolis of Ialysos-Filerimos, as well as the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes and the Palace of the Grand Master, according to Greek news outlet Protothema. The severe weather also caused widespread flooding and disruption in other parts of Greece.. Evia, a large island north-east of Athens, was among the areas most severely affected, with torrential rain causing rivers to overflow, flooding communities and damaging roads. Flooding and disruption were also reported on the Sporades islands, including Skiathos and Skopelos, as well as in parts of the Attica region, including central Athens. According to ERT, rainfall reached around 310mm in Steni, on the island of Evia, 258mm on Skopelos and 173mm in Ippokrateios Politeia within just a few hours. On Rhodes, rainfall totals reached 280mm. Meanwhile, around 29,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the Aegean. Conditions are expected to improve gradually before further rain and thunderstorms hit eastern Thessaly, the Sporades, Evia and Central Greece from Friday evening into Saturday afternoon.