Storms and heavy rainfall hit much of the country over the weekend, causing serious flooding in places.

The eastern port of Volos was one of the worst hit areas, with rainwater turning streets into virtual torrents and damaging ground-floor homes and stores. The fire service received hundreds of telephone calls to pump out water from flooded basements.

The prefecture of Magnesia was also badly affected. Angry residents complained to television journalists that municipal authorities had failed to clear street drains in anticipation of the first rains. Also in Magnesia, strong winds uprooted several trees.

At the port of Lavrion the stormy weather wrecked electricity cables, causing power cuts for several hours.

Bolts of lightning caused fires on the island of Skopelos in the Sporades, at Troizina in the Peloponnese, and in the coastal resort of Lagonissi, southeastern Attica. In Troizina three firemen sent to extinguish the fires sparked by the lightning sustained minor injuries when their fire engine skidded on the road, slippery due to the heavy rain.

The weekend also saw developments regarding accountability for huge floods in the coastal Athenian suburbs of Neo Faliron, Rendi and Moschato in the summer of 2002. A total of 41 people - officials of the Environment and Public Works Ministry and employees of two major construction firms - face criminal charges for the damage wreaked by floods caused when heavy rainfall broke the banks of the Kifissos River. The suspects are charged with causing the damage due to the allegedly shoddy construction of Kifissos Avenue. This poor standard of construction, compounded by large quantities of rubble and other debris dumped along the banks of the river, is believed to have caused the flooding.

The issue went to court following a lawsuit filed by a lawyer, who was almost swept away by floodwater in the deluge six years ago, and by several other residents of the suburbs.