Greece in mourning as several still missing after flood

Mandra - Greece was in mourning on Thursday as rescue crews tried to locate several people missing in a flood that killed 16 people near the capital, with more thunderstorms forecast until the weekend.

Authorities said at least four people were still unaccounted for in Mandra, one of three towns about 50km west of Athens hit by a freak flood on Wednesday.

The latest victim, a 50-year-old man, was found in a mud-filled basement. It took rescue crews over a day to reach his home.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who declared three days of national mourning after the disaster, was touring the area.

Over a hundred firefighters aided by army machinery were mounting search and rescue efforts in Mandra, Nea Peramos and Megara, the semi-rural communities west of Athens hit hardest by the deluge.

The operation unfolded alongside gutted, debris-strewn streets, overturned cars and hundreds of flooded homes and shops as utility crews laboured to restore power and water services.

Emergency crews used pumps to drain water as police reinforcements were sent to the area to prevent looting.