Greek island of Crete is cloaked by Saharan dust storm - turning its blue skies blood red

The island of Crete, known for its blue skies, is seeing red - thanks to a cloud of Saharan dust.

A powerful storm has carried the dust from Africa, and the popular holiday destination has turned an apocalyptic shade of red ahead of the Easter break.

Dramatic photographs showed the impact the dust was having on life on the Greek island.

The island has also been battered by extreme weather - strong winds and heavy rainfall - carried by Storm Erminio.

Residents have been wearing face masks to protect themselves from the suffocating dust.

There have also been gale-force gusts on the island, and the rain, mixed with the dust, has created mud which has coated vehicles and buildings.

A red weather warning was in place until late on Thursday.

The storm has affected travel to and from Crete ahead of the Easter holidays, with flights and ferries disrupted on Wednesday.

Mainland Greece has also been hit by the storm, and a man has died near Athens.

He was found under a car in the Nea Makri area, which suffered flooding, early on Thursday, according to the fire department.

Santorini has also been enveloped in the red dust, which has caused huge disruption on the Greek island.

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A dust storm has also hit Libya, and a state of emergency was declared in the city of Tobruk on Wednesday as the skies turned red.

Greece has suffered destructive floods and wildfires in ​recent years, which analysts have attributed to a rapidly warming climate.

(c) Sky News 2026: Greek island of Crete is cloaked by Saharan dust storm - turning its blue skies blood red