Five people in eastern Romania have been found dead after torrential storms dumped unprecedented rain, leaving hundreds stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities said Saturday.
Rescue services scrambled to save people in the hard-hit eastern counties of Galati and Vaslui. The bodies of three elderly women and two men were found in four localities, the Department for Emergency Situations said.
Authorities later said that one of the victims had been dead for two days from causes unrelated to the weather.
Emergency authorities released video footage showing teams of rescuers evacuating people using small lifeboats through muddy waters and carrying some elderly people to safety.
Some of the most significant flood damage was concentrated in Galati where 5,000 households were affected. A Black Hawk helicopter was also deployed there to help with the search and rescue missions.
The storms battered 19 localities in eight counties in Romania, with strong winds downing dozens of trees that damaged cars and blocked roads and traffic. Authorities sent text message alerts to residents to warn them of adverse weather as emergency services rushed to remove floodwaters from homes.
By 1 p.m. local time on Saturday, more than 250 people had been evacuated with the help of 700 interior ministry personnel deployed to affected communities, authorities said.
Romania’s environment minister Mircea Fechet told The Associated Press that in some of the badly flooded areas, more than 160 liters of rain fell per 1 square meter (about 10.7 square feet) which he said is a rare occurrence.
“What we are trying to do right now is save as many lives as possible,” the minister, who was on his way to Galati to assess the situation, said.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis offered his condolences to the victims' bereaved families, writing on Facebook: "We must continue to strengthen our capacity to anticipate extreme weather phenomena.”
“Severe floods that have affected a large part of the country have led to loss of lives and significant damage,” Iohannis said. “We are again dealing with the effects of climate change, which are increasingly present throughout the European continent, with dramatic consequences on people.”
