Extreme floods in Bulgaria

10 die in flooding in Bulgaria after heavy rain

Daily Mail,

19 June, 2014

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian authorities say ten people have died and several others are missing after heavy rain and flooding hit the Black Sea port city of Varna.

Regional police chief Nikolai Kalchev said that ten bodies were found to have been swept away by floodwaters late Thursday. He could not say how many more people were missing after torrential rain flooded large parts of the coastal town.

TV footage from Varna showed streets flooded in meter-high muddy water, with dozens of cars drifting along and rescue teams trying to make their way to people in distress.

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Cars pile up in the flooded area of the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)

People try to protect themselves from the water in the flooded area of the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)

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Cars pile up in the flooded area of the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)

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Cars skid in the water in the flooded area of the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)

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Cars are covered in mud in the flooded area of the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)

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People try to save a man from the floods in the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)

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A man holds a rope as he stands in the flooded area in the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)

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People try to save a man from the floods in the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)