ATHENS, Greece – Torrential rainfall in Greece’s capital Friday crippled traffic, inundated basements and streets, and was blamed for the death of woman whose car was trapped in floodwater, authorities said.
The overnight storm swept across Greater Athens, flooding hundreds of homes, causing blackouts in parts of the city and forcing authorities to close major roads and a subway station.
“We have many, many problems — it’s hard to know where to begin describing it,” Deputy Fire Chief Vassilis Papageorgiou said.
“We have more than 60 crews working to get people out of stranded vehicles.”
Police closed underpasses and highways in low-lying parts of the city after they were submerged, while parked cars were swept away by racing waters.
The fire department said it received about 1,500 calls to pump out water in Greater Athens. In five hours, 3.9 inches of rain fell.
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