Crete hit hardest among Greek islands battered by storms, flooding 

Ferocious storms have battered islands in Greece for a second day, hurling cars into the sea and flooding homes and businesses with water and mud with Crete experiencing the heaviest rainfall and flooding.

Authorities on the islands of Paros and Mykonos in the Aegean Sea worked to clear overturned cars and debris after hailstorms and torrential downpours on Tuesday.

Emergency government assistance has been requested by those islands to address road and infrastructure damage.

Rescue crews on Crete helped free seven people in vehicles trapped by floodwaters while rockslides and road closures were reported on the island after the bad weather pushed overnight towards the southeast.

The highest rainfall in the 24 hours through Tuesday afternoon was recorded near the Cretan port of Chania, according to the National Observatory of Athens.

Rhodes faced gale-force winds that toppled trees and damaged vehicles.

Schools were preventively shut on Tuesday on the islands of Paros, Mykonos, Rhodes, Kos, Kalymnos, Symi and Tilos.

The storms primarily impacted islands in the Cyclades chain in the central Aegean, a popular holiday destination known for its beaches and whitewashed houses, and they struck just weeks after a rare earthquake swarm forced thousands of people to flee Santorini and the nearby islands of Ios, Amorgos and Anafi.