ATHENS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Severe flooding, landslides, and infrastructure damage were reported across Greece on Thursday as a powerful storm system named Byron swept through the country, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, and gale-force winds.
The Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece was among the hardest-hit regions, with extensive flooding in Laconia, where homes and farmland were submerged and key roads leading to the regional center of Sparta were cut off, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported. Authorities deployed heavy machinery to keep major routes open, but continuous rainfall triggered landslides and raised concerns over potential river overflows.
On Crete, Greece's largest island, intense rainfall caused road closures, landslides, and infrastructure damage, particularly in southern districts. In Heraklion, the island's main city, ground erosion caused part of a street to collapse, sending a vehicle into a construction pit. No injuries were reported, and local authorities opened temporary shelters for homeless residents.
The government convened an emergency meeting, chaired by Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis, as the storm system advanced across the country. Officials warned of rapidly deteriorating conditions and urged residents to limit movement and follow official safety instructions.
Meteorologists said the storm is expected to intensify overnight, especially in Attica and other parts of central Greece. Winds are forecast to reach force 8-9 on the Beaufort scale, potentially generating storm surges along the Aegean coastline, including the Dodecanese islands in the southeast, where initial flooding has already been reported. ■