Greece floods: At least five killed after Evia island storms

At least five people have been killed in flooding caused by thunderstorms and torrential rains on the Greek island of Evia.

Officials said victims included an eight-month-old baby and two people in their 80s. Rescuers found their bodies in houses in the village of Politika.

Search efforts are continuing for two other people reported missing.

The flooding has blocked roads and damaged houses on the island, north-east of Athens.

Officials said the baby died after floodwaters submerged a ground-floor flat. The parents were unharmed.

Hours earlier, a man and woman in their 80s were found unconscious in two separate houses. They were later pronounced dead in hospital, the fire service said. Two other unidentified bodies have been recovered by rescue workers.

Dozens of people have been evacuated from affected areas, and rescue workers used bulldozers to lift some stranded residents to safety.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his “profound pain for the loss of lives”.

He said he would visit the island – the country’s second-largest after Crete – on Monday.

Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias earlier told reporters that his thoughts were with “the people who didn’t make it”.

“We are faced with phenomena that we haven’t experienced before,” he said.

Storm Thalia hit several regions of mainland Greece on Saturday, but the weather was improving on Sunday.

Local officials in Evia said two rivers had burst their banks and filled roads with mud.