Greece: flash floods death toll rises to at least 15

Flash floods have killed at least 15 people, left thousands homeless and destroyed infrastructure in and around the capital of Greece, after a night of heavy rain.

Prime minister Alexis Tsipras declared a day of national mourning after cars were flipped over in the streets, cutting off highway traffic and destroying homes.

Drivers scrambled out of their vehicles as they were being washed away by the floods, and rescue crews searched basement homes for residents who may have been trapped.

Damaged boats are moored at a harbour in Nea Peramos, southwest of Athens (Photo: AFP)

Locals said the devastation was unprecedented in scale.

“These are very difficult moments for Greece. We are living a great disaster,” said Tsipras.

“Immediately and without delay support measures will be adopted for households and businesses affected,” he added.

Torrential rain of this type is uncommon in Greece, where poor infrastructure can leave citizens vulnerable to flooding. It has been raining steadily for about a week, and the country’s met office issued a new severe weather warning for Thursday.

“This is a biblical disaster,” Mandra Mayor Yianna Krikouki told state broadcaster ERT. “Everything is gone.”