Greece declares island in state of emergency after storm hits

A destroyed car is seen, after heavy rainfall on the island of Symi

Greece declared a state of emergency on the island of Symi on Tuesday after a sudden downpour swept cars into the sea, damaged homes and cut off electricity and water supplies.

“The first daylight in Symi revealed the widespread disaster caused by the powerful wave of bad weather,” the Shipping Ministry said in a statement.

Volunteers and equipment from the army and regional government had been deployed to the eastern Aegean island to restore roads and other damage caused by Monday’s storm.

Divers were making sure no one had been trapped in their cars, the ministry said.