A woman who was stuck in her car is rescued from floodwaters by a resident in the Chalandri suburb north of Athens. It is unclear if the woman pictured is the one who died later in hospital.
DPA/Athens
One person died after torrential rains caused widespread flooding and major damage in many parts of the Greek capital yesterday, inundating homes and motorways.
A 24-year-old woman who had been trapped in her car on a flooded road died shortly after being taken to hospital, officials said. The cause of her death was not immediately clear.
Several main highways and roads were flooded, causing massive traffic jams as people could be seen trapped in their cars, with residential areas in the west of Athens such as Aegaleo, Nikaia and Peristeri, the worst hit.
“We received more than 900 calls to help people with flooded homes or to rescue stranded drivers,” deputy fire chief Vassilis Papageorgiou told state television.
An abandoned house collapsed in the city centre, but no injuries were reported.
Dozens of parked cars were swept away after the Ilissos and Pivrodafni rivers broke their banks and electricity was cut in several parts of Athens.
The city’s rail service was temporarily closed because of fallen trees.
Meteorologists said the amount of rain Athens received in six hours was the average for the whole of February.