Two die as Storm Bora sweeps across Greece

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Reuters Cars piled up on small, muddy road, following floods caused by storm Bora in the area of Lalysos, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, 1 December 2024.

1Two men have died as torrential rains and gale-force winds cause flooding and damage across Greece.

2More than 30cm of rain was reported to have fallen on the island of Rhodes - one of the first areas to be impacted by Storm Bora - since Saturday.

3The deaths occurred on the island of Lemnos where flooding damaged roads and buildings and residents were asked to evacuate their homes, amid fears that a dam could overflow.

4Damage has also been reported in Greece's second-largest city of Thessaloniki on the mainland, with the rain and storms likely to affect the majority of the country in the hours to come, the National Meteorological Service of Greece said.

EPA Firefighters cut down trees that have fallen in the city of Thessaloniki after Storm Bora on December 2024. Two men in orange high-visibility jackets are watching as two men tend to a tree that has uprooted and lays fallen on a small wall

5On Lemnos, the rural road network linking the villages of Kontias with Thanos and Agios Dimitris has been completely destroyed.

6A 70-year-old man in Kontias died when he fell over as he tried to clear up his house. 7A 57-year-old farmer was found dead by firefighters after being reported missing by his family near a flooded dam close to the village.

8According to police sources, he drowned after being swept away by rushing waters while trying to free his car, which had become stuck in mud within a stream.

9Residents in Kontias were asked to evacuate their homes as there is a fear that the dam will overflow.

10The situation on Rhodes was described as "dramatic" by residents.

11A 24-hour ban on vehicle movement on the road network has been imposed on the island.

12During the night, several people were trapped by rushing waters, after many roads became flooded.

13The regional governor of Southern Aegean, Giorgos Hatzimarkos, said Rhodes had sustained "enormous damage".

14Many roads on the island are impassable, while bridges have collapsed in the Kallithea-Faliraki area.

15The Mayor of Rhodes, Alexandros Koliadis, has submitted a request to the Greek government to declare the island as being in a state of emergency.

Reuters A woman cleans mud off a street following floods caused by storm Bora in the area of Lalysos, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, 1 December 2024

16In Thessaloniki, the civil protection department has called on residents in the Pylaia and Chortiatis areas to limit their movements because of gale-force winds - gusts have reached more than 80km/h (50mph).

17There have been power cuts in the area after strong winds and falling trees caused damage to the electricity grid. 18Power outages have also led to delays on the Thessaloniki-Athens railway line.

19Meanwhile, a cargo ship moored in the port of Thessaloniki was swept away in the high winds, leading to a collision with another cargo ship, and damage to both vessels.

20Forecasters say Storm Bora is likely to affect many parts of Greece until early on Tuesday.

21In the coming hours, the conditions are expected to hit the northern Aegean region, central Macedonia, parts of Halkidiki, the prefecture of Thessaloniki, Imathia, Pieria, Thessaly and Larissa.

from BBC