Fire department unionist Costas Tsigas said the hardest-hit zone, the western side of the greater Athens area, had received "tonnes" of rainwater that blocked roads with debris.

The storm forced the temporary closure of the motorway to the city of Corinth.

Army machinery was brought in to clear the roads, Tsigas told state TV ERT.

The strongest part of the storm hit on Thursday, when a Euroleague basketball fixture between Olympiacos Piraeus and Turkey's Fenerbahce had to be scrapped.

According to the meteo.gr website of the National Observatory of Athens, a total of 245 millimetres (nine-and-a-half inches) of rain was recorded between Thursday and Friday west of Athens.

"The phenomena are very intense, but so far, we haven't had any serious damage in Athens," Nikos Chrysogelos, deputy mayor for climate management of the Athens municipality, told Athens 9.84 radio.