Man, 62, dies after torrential floods sweep car onto beach on Greek island of Rhodes

A 62-year-old man has died after his car was swept onto a beach by torrential floodwaters on the Greek island of Rhodes. The incident happened in Stegna, around 20 miles south of Rhodes Town, early on Wednesday afternoon, as a severe storm battered large parts of Greece . The island was hit by exceptionally heavy rainfall, with Greek public broadcaster ERT reporting that more than 200mm of rain fell in six and a half hours. The national fire service said emergency crews received 113 calls on Rhodes by 4pm local time, carrying out 64 water-pumping operations and evacuating 13 people to safety. The man, who worked at a local hotel, had attempted to retrieve his car after it was swept away by torrents of water, according to residents who spoke to Greek TV channel MEGA. His body was later found among reeds and debris on the beach, according to ERT. The Greek coastguard confirmed that a man had been found unconscious in the waters off Stegna and said four cars had been swept away by the floodwaters. Several major tourist attractions on Rhodes were closed from 12.30pm local time as a precaution to protect visitors and staff. They included the archaeological sites of Lindos, Kamiros and the Acropolis of Ialysos-Filerimos, as well as the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes and the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights, according to Greek news outlet Proto Thema. The severe weather also caused widespread flooding and disruption in other parts of Greece. Seven regions were placed under the highest-level Red Code emergency alert until the end of Wednesday: Evia, the Sporades, Attica, the South Aegean (which includes Rhodes), Crete, the regional units of Samos and Ikaria, and the Peloponnese. Evia, a large island north-east of Athens, was among the areas most severely affected, with torrential rain causing rivers to overflow, flooding towns and damaging roads. Flooding and disruption were also reported on the Sporades islands, including Skiathos and Skopelos, as well as in parts of the Attica region, including central Athens. According to ERT, rainfall totals reached around 310mm in Evia, 280mm in Rhodes, 258mm on Skopelos and 173mm in Attica's Agia Triada within just a few hours. Meanwhile, around 29,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the Aegean. Conditions are expected to improve on Thursday before another spell of unsettled weather brings rain and thunderstorms to parts of Greece on Friday.