Cyprus has been engulfed in a thick cloud of Saharan dust, as a deadly storm continues to lash the Mediterranean with intense rain and strong winds.
Authorities warned locals it was dangerous even to step outside, after Storm Erminio blew the ‘severe’ plume over from northern Africa.
Meteorologists reported that a ‘huge amount of dust’ was on the move.
Crete was blanketed by the cloud earlier in the week, with the atmosphere turning unsettling shades of red and orange.
Now, it has moved further east to reach Cyprus, where there is a British military base, which is contending with equally hazy conditions.
Health officials have warned the air quality is severely compromised, with some spots recording a particulate density 36 times greater than the EU’s safe level.
They instructed the public to avoid all outdoor activities and exercise, and to wear a dust mask of a wet cloth if they must step outside.
A local forecaster told Philenews: ‘This is considered extreme. It would not be an exaggeration to say that episodes this strong are recorded once every ten years.’
On Wednesday, several Easter holiday flights to Crete had to be rerouted as the Saharan dust blotted out the sky.
Travelers at Heraklion’ main airport were beset by chaos, as departures were grounded and arrivals disrupted.
At least two flights were forced to divert after visibility dropped to around 1,000 metres, a level considered unsafe for landing.
A British Airways service from London was rerouted to Corfu, while a SKY Express flight from Brussels was sent to Athens.
Dramatic scenes were also reported on the ground, where a powerful tornado flipped a truck in the coastal area of Pachia Ammos as it prepared to load agricultural exports.
The violent weather also uprooted trees, damaged greenhouses and caused part of a wall at a ceramics factory to collapse.
This is the work of Storm Erminio, which has been lashing parts of the wider Mediterranean with heavy rain, thunder storms and strong winds – bringing red weather warnings.
A man died in Greece as a result of the weather, and a massive landslide in Italy left around people stranded.
Heavy rainfall triggered a mudslide on Thursday in the village of Piceno in central Italy, blocking the main road out.
Separately, a rockfall in the southern town of Rapolla forced the evacuation of three families living in an apartment block, with social media footage showing a jagged cliff edge with thick slabs of concrete overhanging the edge.
Meanwhile, a bridge collapsed in the eastern town of Montenero di Bisaccia following severe flooding, interrupting several roads in the surrounding area.
In Greece, the body of a man was recovered in the seaside holiday town of Nea Makri as homes were flooded following heavy rainfall.
The fire department said the man in his fifties was found trapped under a car. He was believed to have been carried away by a torrent as he attempted to cross a street, local media reported.
The fire brigade added that it had received nearly 500 emergency calls in the greater Athens area, including more than 30 rescue requests.
Authorities issued emergency warnings and shut down schools in areas east of Athens, the Dodecanese islands, the Cycladic islands and Crete. On the island of Poros, flooding knocked down a bridge.
