Torrential Rain Kills Five in Eastern Romania

At least five people in eastern Romania have been found dead after torrential rain storms dumped unprecedented rain, leaving hundreds stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities said.

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 the localities of Pechea, Draguseni, Costache Negri, and Corod, the Department for Emergency Situations said.

Authorities later added that one of the victims had been dead for two days and “did not die due to the effects of the weather” but from other causes.

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.

The stormy weather comes as several central European nations anticipate severe flooding to hit the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary over the weekend.

In the Czech Republic, river waters reached dangerous levels in dozens of areas across the country, flooding houses and roads in several towns and villages. Heavy rain and high winds left more than 63,000 households without power, the Czech power company CEZ said.

Meteorologists say a low-pressure system from northern Italy was predicted to dump much rainfall in most parts of the Czech Republic, including the capital and border regions with Austria and Germany in the south and Poland in the north.

Polish authorities appealed to residents to stock up on food and to prepare for power outages by charging power banks.