Overnight storms battered northeastern Romania, triggering flash floods that killed at least three people and forced the evacuation of hundreds of others, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Monday. The hardest hit counties, the report said, were Neamț and Suceava, where rescue services were deployed across affected towns.
In Neamț county, a total of more than 800 persons were evacuated, with local administration officials deploying helicopters and firefighters to get to the persons trapped inside their homes. The Department for Emergency Situations said their personnel found the body of a 66-year-old man at the bottom of a stream in the town of Neagra, as reported by the news agency.
Two women, who had previously been reported missing, were subsequently found dead.
Rescue Operations Ongoing
As emergency services conducted search and rescue operations, local administration released photographs of turbulent muddy waters loaded with debris – scorched cars, tree branches and destroyed homes, showing a grim scenario of devastation brought about by the floods.
Houses were inundated, roads were littered with debris, with the area’s scenic beauty tarnished by extensive destruction, the report added.
In Neamț alone, at least a thousand residents were forced to leave their homes as they fled to safety. Helicopters evacuated those most affected and vulnerable individuals as emergency units’ personnel cleared flooded houses.
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