At least 25 flights due to land at Heraklion airport in Crete were reportedly forced to divert as flash floods struck the island.
The second largest airport in Greece after Athens was shut on Saturday as runways were submerged under water.
Thousands of holidaymakers were pictured gathered in the departure hall after flights were cancelled.
Passengers took to social media, complaining of “chaos” at the airport with crowds of passengers waiting for information on delayed or cancelled flights.
Vehicles dragged into the sea as flash floods hit Greek island of Cretehttps://t.co/fPvMCj15hxpic.twitter.com/vuflPK7tT9
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 16, 2022
One on Twitter reported by Sky News, described an “absolute shambles” with “masses of people getting pushed along for hours”.
Greek state broadcaster ERT described scenes of “biblical catastrophe” on the island, with footage of cars and other debris submerged under seawater in Agia Pelagia and Sitia in the east, where a state of emergency was declared.
Local police said eight tourists and a security guard were trapped in Sitia’s archaeological museum as torrential rains hit the port town.
About 150mm of rain, the equivalent of four months’ rainfall in eastern Crete, fell in less than 12 hours, according to local reports.
At leat two people are known to have died in the floods which swept away cars into the sea and caused landslides in what has been described as one of the the worst storms in 100 years.