Greece, "swept" by storms

Greece is not only struggling with fires, autumn storms are just as dangerous. Two people have died on the Greek island of Limnos, in the Aegean Sea, due to the weather that is affecting a large part of the country and which has caused significant damage on the island of Rhodes, according to the authorities. The victims are a 57-year-old farmer and a septuagenarian, who died on Saturday on the island of Limnos, located near the Turkish coast, in the northeastern Aegean Sea, according to the Greek police.

The storm caused significant damage on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese archipelago, especially to the road network, homes and commercial premises, according to the governor of the South Aegean region, Giorgos Hadjimarkos. "Rhodes was severely affected last night. Dozens of evacuation operations were necessary, in particularly difficult conditions," he said in a statement. Residents of the tourist island, also close to the Turkish coast, received an alert message from the Civil Protection, urging them to stay indoors. A vehicle ban has also been imposed, while rescue teams are "on high alert," according to the same source. Public broadcaster ERT broadcast images of flooded fields and fields on Limnos, an agricultural island. About 25 firefighters from Athens have been sent to the island as reinforcements, and another 35 to Rhodes. The Greek meteorological service has warned that the Bora storm will bring heavy snowfall to western Macedonia and the mountainous areas of Epirus (northwest). The Civil Protection sent an alert message to mobile phones at the end of the week due to the risk of torrential rain and strong winds in Central Macedonia (northeast), Thessaly (center) and Attica, the region that includes the capital Athens.