State of emergency declared on two Greek islands as people told to stay at home

Flooding has wreaked havoc on the Greek islands (Image: Getty)

Residents on two Greek islands insanely popular with British tourists have been told to stay at a home after a state of emergency was declared. Floods have struck Mykonos and Paros as storms swirled over the Aegean Sea, also affecting Crete and Rhodes.

The storms began on Monday as local businesses were gearing up for the start of the tourist season. Paros saw 70mm of rainfall in two hours, which has been described as the worst in two decade. Around 40 cars were swept away in the port of Naoussa, according to the island's mayor, Costas Bizas.

Local authorities have requested emergency government assistance to carry out repairs after the deluge left piles of debris and overturned cars.

Speaking to public broadcaster ERT, Mr Bizas said: "Roads have been damaged and we need help with more machines so that we can clear the streets," as per The Independent.

Heavy rainstorms sparked panic in Paros, an island in the South Aegean. (Image: Getty)

A state of emergency was declared on Paros (pictured) and Mykonos. (Image: Getty)

He added: "All this catastrophe happened in two hours."

Residents in Mykonos faced powerful winds and hail, whilst on Crete, at least seven people had to be saved by rescue crews from cars trapped by floodwaters, as per The Telegraph.

The port city of Chania, on the north coast, saw the highest rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to Tuesday afternoon, according to data from the National Observatory of Athens.

Meanwhile, Rhodes, an island in the in the Dodecanese beloved by British holidaymakers, was hit with gale-force winds that knocked over trees, and blew air-conditioning units of roofs, according to reports.

The brutal conditions saw schools closed across multiple islands, including Mykonos  Syros, Symi, Kalymnos and Kos.

It also caused landslides, and ferry services were disrupted or halted altogether.

The storms were expected to last into Wednesday, particularly for Crete and the Dodecanese islands, which includes Rhodes, Samos and Chios, as per The Telegraph.

Only weeks ago, more than 10,000 people were forced to flee Santorini and other islands amid a series of earthquakes.

In recent years the country has faced frequent flooding, with scientists blaming the increasing instances of extreme weather on climate change and warming waters, as per The Independent.