Tragedy has struck after a man died near Athens as Storm Erminio triggered gale-force winds and flooding in parts of Greece. Earlier today the man was found under a car in the Nea Makri rural area, according to fire crews.

Storm Erminio has flooded streets forced the closure of some schools and led to ferries being moored. At the same time, flights on Crete were disrupted on Wednesday as Saharan dust smothered the holiday hotsport, casting a chocking red-orange hue over the sky. The storm is set to continue to rip through most areas of the country “with long-lasting and intense rains and storms and possibly with local hail”, according to the national meteorological service.

From midday until late this evening a red weather warning is in place for Crete, mainly in the west and south. The red extreme thunderstom warning will be accompanied by heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected.

A spokesperson from Hellenic National Meteorological Service said: “Take action to protect yourself and act on advice given by authorities.

“Widespread, violent thunderstorms are likely with danger to life from lightning, hail, flooding and storm damage. Transport and power disruption can be expected. Significant disruption to normal routines is possible. Avoid making non-essential journeys.”

The dust has grounded aircraft and disrupted arrivals at Heraklion’s main airport in Crete.

Yesterday, three flights bound for Iraklio from Crete had to be rerouted, the state news agency ANA said, while most ferries have had to remain in port.

Red alerts are also in place for eastern Peloponnese, Central Greece, Evia, Thessaly, the Sporades Islands, Attica, and the Dodecanese.

There is an orange warning for the Cyclades, and the islands of the eastern Aegean.

The fire department received 674 calls for help from Wednesday to Thursday morning. Most reports were due to fallen trees in the Attica region, which includes Athens.

A powerful tornado even flipped a lorry in the coastal area of Pachia Ammos as it prepared to load agricultural exports.