A WOMAN has tragically died while walking home from work in a horror flash flood, as a state emergency is declared for an historic European city.
The 56-year-old was traversing raging flood waters in her southern Athens suburb when she was knocked off her feet by the torrential water stream.
She was swept along the road, which had turned into a roaring murky river, and was eventually trapped under a parked car.
Sadly, she couldn’t get her head above the water and drowned, local media reported.
She passed away despite the best efforts of witnesses who rushed to her aid but could not free her.
Authorities warned of the hazardous weather conditions which saw strong rain, thunderstorms and gale-force winds ravage overnight.
Torrential rain flooded homes and businesses across Athens and other parts of Greece.
The dangerous flow carried cars, garbage cans and debris though residential streets, submerging homes and causing extensive damage.
The fire brigade received hundreds of calls to pump water out of flooded buildings in Athens.
The Peloponnese, central Greece, the greater Athens area, Thessaly, the northern Aegean and western Macedonia have all been placed under a state of mobilisation.
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Residents of Athens, Viotia and Evia have received emergency text alerts urging them to limit their movements.
Schools have also been closed in several regions.
Earlier on Wednesday, a coast guard officer was washed away by the rough sea in a port in Peloponnese, southern Greece.
“Ηe fell into the sea while he was trying tie up a small boat in the harbour,” said a coast guard official.
The rainstorm is expected to move to the eastern part of the country later in the week.
Sicily has also been lashed with wild weather as Cyclone Harry continues to cause havoc, prompting a state of emergency.
Shocking videos show the moments Sicilian streets are turned into rivers, leaving residents running, with rubbish, pot plants, outdoor furniture and cars washing away.
Powerful waves submerged roads and pavements, as sea foam appeared to reach the ground floors of nearby buildings.
Passersby could also be seen wading through the water trying to get to safety.
In what looks like a tidal wave, a street in Letojanni – north of Catania – was engulfed by flood water on Tuesday evening, with the currents taking everything in its wake.
Loose rubbish bags were the first items to be washed away in the storm, followed by chairs and heavily weighted pot plants.
In another video from Messina, giant waves are flooding the coastal city, rolling straight in from the sea.
A horrifying video shows the moment the sky becomes dark, the light blocked out by an enormous wave, before it crashed down to the shore and flooded the street.
Cyclone Harry has been wreaking havoc across the Mediterranean island, with governors pushing for the government to call a regional state of emergency, as Sicily, Calabria, and Sardinia were placed on red alert.
The island is also expecting up to 300 millimetres of rain in just two days.
