Cars abandoned by the sea following heavy thunderstorms, in the village of Paliokastro, on the island of Crete, Greece, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.  (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

Athens, October 16 (RHC)-- A man died and a woman was missing after powerful storms caused flooding on Greece’s biggest island of Crete, authorities have said.  The Greek fire brigade said on Saturday that a 50-year-old man died and a woman was missing after their car was carried away in flash floods in the town of Agia Pelagia, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) northwest of Iraklio.  They recovered the man from the vehicle that washed into the sea after it was swept up by raging waters.

Divers from the coast guard and the fire department’s Special Disaster Unit were searching for the woman.
The fire brigade has received hundreds of calls from people asking to bring them to safety or pump water out of flooded buildings on the island, a fire brigade official said.

Authorities said they were investigating more reports of missing people and feared others may have been trapped in their cars.  But gale force winds were continuing to blow across most of the island.

At least 10 cars have been seen floating in the sea off the coast of Agia Pelagia, which appeared to be the hardest hit area on the island.  Firefighters rescued a woman who was trapped inside her car before it was flushed into the sea.

On the east side of the island, residents of the Lasithi area received an SMS text message warning them not to leave their homes. Meanwhile, on the western side of the island, houses have been flooded in the city of Chania, according to regional officials.