Rescuers in Crete discover body of woman killed by flash floods

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS (AA) - Rescue workers on the Greek island of Crete discovered the body of a missing woman Sunday that had been swept away by floodwaters caused by torrential rains, local media reported.

The coast guard along with divers and the fire department’s special disaster management unit had been searching since yesterday for the 48-year-old woman, whose body was found in the Mediterranean.

According to the fire department, the woman was reportedly in the same car with a 50-year-old man who was found drowned Saturday near his vehicle as he tried to escape the raging waters.

Residents reported that everything happened in just three minutes.

Cars were slammed against houses while others where almost balancing in the air, completely destroyed by the ferocity of the waters.

Homes and shops where submerged in the mud while around 25 cars ended up in the sea.

Since Saturday, the coastal village of Agia Pelagia, located northwest of Crete’s capital, Heraklion, has been hit by heavy rainfall that has caused chaos, with roads turning into rivers, pushing everything that stands in the way.

Government officials are in the area inspecting and assessing the damage.