Lightning strike kills German tourist, 58, on Rhodes beach

A 58-year-old German tourist was killed by a lightning strike on a beach near Lindos, in the south of Rhodes, Greek police said, according to German news agency dpa reports carried by Tagesspiegel and the Kurier. Her husband suffered minor injuries in the same incident.

The couple had been swimming in the sea and were walking along the beach afterwards when lightning struck the woman, Tagesspiegel reported. She lost consciousness and had no pulse by the time emergency responders arrived, Greek news site Rodiaki.gr reported.

The couple were taken to a regional health centre, where the woman was pronounced dead, Tagesspiegel said. Her husband received medical treatment there for his minor injuries. Greek authorities are investigating the exact circumstances of the incident, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT, cited by Tagesspiegel. Neither the woman nor her husband has been identified by name in any of the reports.

A severe autumn storm is currently affecting the Aegean Sea, including the island of Crete, the Kronen Zeitung and n-tv reported. On Crete, a 79-year-old shepherd drowned after being swept away by floodwater in the mountains, with his body found on Thursday in a gorge at Karines, the Kronen Zeitung said. Firefighters in Heraklion separately rescued a couple who had been swept off their feet and injured by floodwater, the outlet added.

Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said more than 150 litres of rain per square metre had fallen in parts of Crete, which has been placed under a state of full mobilisation since Wednesday and is expected to remain so until Sunday because of the extreme weather, the Kronen Zeitung reported. Greece's National Meteorological Service forecasts heavy rain and thunderstorms to continue across the islands until Sunday, according to the same report, meaning further disruption is likely before the system clears.