Ferries docked at Greek ports due to bad weather, flight disruptions

The cold weather snap which has swept Greece this week has caused disruptions in land and maritime travel, local authorities reported on Wednesday.

Ferries remained docked at Greek ports across the country as winds of up to nine on the Beaufort scale were blowing in the Aegean Sea, while a dozen flights were affected by low visibility at the airport of Thessaloniki in northern Greece and the islands.

In addition, several regional roads, in particular in the mountainous regions of northern Greece, have closed and motorists are advised to use chains on their vehicles due to the extensive snowfall.

The temperature has fallen to minus four degrees Celsius in some areas in northern Greece and schools were closed on Wednesday.

In southern Greece, heavy rainfall has also caused problems. There were flash floods on Zakynthos island during the weekend, which resulted in one death, and similar problems from overflown rivers on the eastern island of Lesvos. On Wednesday, Crete was the island which was affected the most by the rainfall.

The local fire brigade rescued at least three people trapped in cars, while mudslides caused damage to a dozen residencies.

In Athens, Piraeus, and many other municipalities across Greece, emergency shelters have opened their doors to provide aid to the homeless. Endit