Bulgaria was hit by severe weather on Friday, with snow in the western parts and torrential rain in the East, the Bulgarian News agency BTA  reported. Three men, including two rescuers died in a coastal resort after heavy rainfall caused flash floods. Traffic was seriously disturbed as early snow closed mountain passes.

A man drowned in an underground garage of a building in the Elenite resort, the Burgas regional administration has reported, quoted by BTA. His body was found during a search by fire department officials.

Rescue teams continue to search the buildings. So far, six women, three of whom are from Poland, have been evacuated from the resort in the Nessebar municipality.

At this stage, off-road vehicles are having difficulty reaching flooded buildings in some areas. Reports of people in distress, as well as cars and buildings under water, have been received. Teams have been sent from Nessebar and Pomorie and divers and are also on site, it was reported.

One person is being sought – an excavator worker at “Elenite”, Deputy Interior Minister Toni Todorov has told journalists. Around 50 people in the four most endangered buildings have climbed to the higher floors and are now safe.

The Deputy Minister also said that due to the heavy rainfall in the districts of Burgas, Montana and Pernik, a state of emergency has been declared.

Later in the evening, the regional governor of Burgas, Vladimir Krumov, told BNR correspondent Daniela Kostadinova that a second victim had been found. The deceased was the excavator operator who had gone to assist in the relief efforts, but went missing and was later discovered dead.

The Minister of Interior Daniel Mitov confirmed that a second rescuer had been killed in the floods, according to BTA. 

• According to unconfirmed information, there are deaths after the disaster in “Elenite”

Editor: Diana Tsankova

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photo: Oleksii Aharkov