Three people were reported missing in Greece on Sunday after swirling winds and torrential rain brought flash floods in several parts of the country.

A rare type of tropical storm known as a Medicane began on Saturday and has so far mostly affected areas on the island of Evia, east of mainland Greece, and the southern Peloponnese peninsula.

State TV said that a young man and a middle-aged couple were missing in Evia. The civil protection service said that it had launched a search and rescue operation near the town of Mantoudi.

Ships were held at Greece's main ports and traffic was disrupted in several areas as roads flooded due to the heavy rain.

Firefighters received more than 1300 calls for assistance to remove downed trees and other objects and help evacuate people trapped in cars and flooded homes.

Temperatures plunged unexpectedly by up to 10 degrees celsius this week. Wind speeds topped 100 kilometres (56 miles) per hour in several areas and were forecast to intensify.