At least three people have died in Greece as Storm Bora unleashes destruction

A state of emergency has been declared on two Greek islands due to Storm Bora, which has left a trail of devastation and resulted in three fatalities. The storm, which began impacting Greece on Saturday, brought unprecedented rainfall, with Rhodes receiving over 30cm of rain.

According to reports, two men lost their lives in a flooded village on the island of Lemnos, located in the northern Aegean Sea. The region suffered severe flooding, damaging infrastructure and buildings.

Rescue operations, supported by the military and local authorities, have been underway to aid residents, especially the elderly, in flood-stricken areas. The storm's powerful winds reaching up to 80mph (129kph) and torrential rain over the weekend resulted in flipped cars, power outages, and damaged roads across affected regions.

The popular Rhodes resort of Faliraki was among the worst hit, with the floods destroying a bridge, creating chasms, and damaging coastal properties.

The third casualty, a male driver in Halkidiki, northern Greece, reportedly succumbed to hypothermia after falling into a ditch while attempting to avoid debris. The peninsula's Sithonia region experienced extensive damage including flooded homes and impassable roads due to mudslides.

The UK Met Office has warned of continuing significant flooding in northeast Greece, predicting rainfall to reach twice the monthly average by Monday.

Vassilis Kikilias, Greece's climate crisis and civil protection minister, has urged residents in affected areas to heed evacuation orders communicated through mobile alerts, emphasizing the priority of safety over potential over-caution. He attributed the increased severity of weather phenomena to climate change, citing recent extreme weather events in Greece.

Transportation disruptions persist, with rail travel on the Greek mainland affected, and weather warnings remain in place for parts of the eastern Aegean islands as well as central and southern mainland Greece.