Heavy rain disrupts traffic in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv, floods buildings in Shoumen
Heavy rain on September 28 disrupted traffic on the Plovdiv – Svilengrad road in Bulgaria and flooded houses, yards and farms in Popovitsa in the Plovdiv region’s Sadovo municipality.
One lane of traffic in Popovitsa was closed by traffic police, while people in roadside houses feared that passing lorries would send water pouring into their houses, Bulgarian National Television said.
Traffic from Haskovo to Plovdiv was diverted to Trakiya motorway and in the opposite direction, through Assenovgrad.
Earlier, in the town of Shoumen in north-eastern Bulgaria, heavy rain dragged cars and flooded houses and public buildings.
Fourteen people were evacuated from the hardest-hit parts of the town. The storm damaged trees and roads were littered with washed-away gravel and sand. Silt washed into the new radiotherapy facility in Shoumen, which has equipment worth millions.
There were more than 65 calls for help to emergency number 112.
On September 28, a “Code Yellow” warning for potentially hazardous weather because of expected heavy rain and possible floods was issued for the regions of Pleven, Lovech, Gabrovo, Veliko Turnovo, Rousse, Turgovishte, Sliven, Bourgas, Yambol, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Plovdiv, Kurdzhali, Smolyan and Pazardzhik.
The rainfall in these districts was expected to reach 15 to 20 litres a square metre.
