Three dead in floods in Bulgaria’s Bourgas district
Three people have drowned in floods in the Bourgas region on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, the Interior Ministry and local authorities said on September 6, while torrential rain led to states of emergency in various places in Bulgaria and closures of some roads.
The dead were a 69-year-old woman, a 21-year-old woman and a man (27), who drowned in the swollen Ropotamo River. Both of the women drowned in their cars.
Rain poured in Bourgas overnight at a rate of 84 litres a square metre, local media said. On September 6, this was reported to have risen to 200 litres a sq m.
Rescue teams responded to distress calls in three Bourgas neighbourhoods. Several houses in the Pobeda and Akatsiite residential neighbourhoods were flooded. There were several distress calls from the Otmanli fishing village, where more than 20 people were evacuated.
Floodwaters carried away at least five cars.
A state of emergency was declared in municipality of Primorsko on the morning of September 6, mayor Dimitar Germanov said.
He said that heavy rain that had fallen in the past day had caused significant damage in the municipality.
Sections of road in the Vesseli – Yasna Polyana and Panicharevo – Yasna Polyana routes had been inundated, a bridge was damaged, houses were flooded and the airfield at Primorsko was under water, reports said.
People in the Kiten camping area were reported to have been seriously affected by the torrential rain.
On the afternoon of September 6, the main road was closed between Sozopol and Primorsko and Primorsko and Kiten, the Interior Ministry said. This was the result of the Ropotamo River bursting its banks.
A state of emergency had been declared in two municipalities in the Stara Zagora district, Gulubovo and Opan, the Stara Zagora district administration said on September 6.
Fire Safety and Civil Protection crews had so far evacuated 25 people.
The Maritsa motorway was closed to traffic at a point near the town of Harmanli, the Road Infrastructure Agency said on September 6.
A state of emergency also was declared after heavy rains hit Dimitrovgrad.
Meanwhile, the state of emergency in Berkovitsa entered its second day, after heavy rain continued overnight.
Four families whose houses were severely damaged by floodwaters spent the night with relatives and friends. There are concerns that if a further round of torrential rain hits the riverside part of the town, more houses may fall down.
On September 6, a “Code Orange” hazardous weather warning was issued for eight districts: Bourgas, Yambol, Sliven, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Kurdzhali, Plovdiv and Pazardzhik.
The lesser “Code Yellow” potentially hazardous weather warning was issued for Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Sofia Region, Lovech and Smolyan.
