Britons stranded on Greek island as flash floods close roads

British holidaymakers on a Greek island have been told to stay inside their hotels due to one of the most violent storms in recent memory, which has turned the streets into perilous mudslides.

Many British tourists on Skiathos Island have decided to stay in their hotels, heeding the advice of Greek authorities, who have advised them not to walk outside as a violent storm engulfs the country.

Skiathos, located in the westernmost section of the Sporades Islands, is famous for its immaculate white pebble beaches and has served as the setting for several scenes in the Mamma Mia musical.

At least one person has already tragically died as a result of the storm. According to the local fire department in the mainland town of Volos, a cow herder was killed when a wall collapsed on him while attempting to rescue his animals.ย 

Read More Flights from Greek Island cancelled as Brits scramble to escape severe floods

In addition, another person has gone missing when their car was washed away by floodwaters.

Weather forecasters predict up to 700mm of rain in the Pelion region on Wednesday, which is directly opposite Skiathos on the Greek mainland.

This storm came at the end of a summer in Greece defined by deadly heatwaves.

Wildfires ravaged many sections of the country in August, claiming numerous lives.

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A number of British tourists spoke with the Telegraph. Darren Blacow, who has been visiting the island every summer since 2006, said he had never seen such a powerful storm before.

He said: “The street outside our house is just a river of mud. The swimming pool is also overflowing and has turned brown with the mud.”

He noted that their Greek hosts had been really kind and were going out of their way to help them.

He also mentioned that, while their hotel had power, many resorts in more rural places had lost power.

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According to Greece’s meteorological agency, a village in the Pilion region received 75.4 centimetres (nearly 30 inches) of rain on Tuesday night, the highest recorded level since at least 2006.

This is significantly more than the average annual rainfall in the Athens region, which is roughly 40 centimetres (15.75 inches).

Vassilis Kikilias, Greece’s Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, stated that the heavy rain was likely to subside by midday on Wednesday.

He asked people in affected areas to stay indoors for their own protection.

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