Sofia [Bulgaria], October 4: Torrential rains caused severe flooding in Bulgaria on Friday, leaving at least one person dead and another missing on the Black Sea coast, authorities said.
Deputy Interior Minister Toni Todorov confirmed the body was recovered from a hotel basement in the Elenite resort village, where floodwaters also swept several cars into the sea. Strong waves hampered recovery efforts.
Heavy rainfall cut off several coastal municipalities, prompting school closures and warnings for residents to stay indoors or move to higher ground. Tsarevo, among the hardest-hit areas, recorded 225 mm of rain, while the nearby village of Izgrev saw more than 410 mm.
Elsewhere, rain and sleet in the northwest knocked down trees and disrupted the power supply in Tran municipality. Extreme weather also blocked sections of the Hemus motorway linking Sofia to northern Bulgaria and the Trakia motorway to the south.
The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology said the storm system would ease by Saturday, with improved weather conditions expected.
Source: Xinhua News Agency