The death toll from “extraordinary” storms on Crete is increasing
“The worst storm in the last 100 years” and a “biblical catastrophe”. The Greek media used superlatives to describe the severe storm on the popular holiday island of Crete today. At least two people were killed in the storm this weekend. Much damage was also done.
The gusts of wind and heavy rain raged especially in the region around the capital Heraklion. The power went out in several places. Video footage shows water and mud pouring through narrow streets with tremendous force, carrying dozens of cars, garbage and large boulders with them. Several cars also landed in the sea.
Pictures from yesterday:
The two dead are a 50-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman. The man was pulled into the water by a car and drowned. The woman disappeared yesterday and was found dead in the sea today.
Heraklion airport was closed for hours yesterday because the runway was under water. As a result, dozens of flights had to be diverted to the western city of Chania and the Greek capital, Athens.
Judith Derksen from the Netherlands has been stuck at the airport since yesterday. “Yesterday we drove through the storm to the airport in our small rental car. The weather was very violent, with extremely heavy rainfall. In the Netherlands you sometimes have a minute of downpour, well that’s been the whole time here,” says Derksen over the phone.
When we arrived at the airport it was total chaos. Derksen: “A huge number of stranded travelers and the information boards showed that more and more flights were being canceled and delayed.”
Last night, Derksen and the two friends she is on holiday with were told by their travel organization that they could no longer book a hotel for the group. “We called sixty hotels to see if there was space. But everything was full, or some hotels didn’t answer, so we slept at the airport.”
The trio slept on the floor in the departure lounge with other travelers.
Derksen’s new flight is scheduled for this afternoon, although it is not yet on the flight information boards. “Fortunately, it’s not as chaotic as it was yesterday, but a lot of people are still stressed. We continue to wait here, we are already glad that we arrived safely. And we had a very nice holiday, only in the end it’s a little less.”
In the meantime, the storm has weakened and the bad weather has shifted towards the south coast of Turkey.
Source: NOS
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