Romania floods: Torrential rain leaves 5 dead, scores stranded

Five people in eastern Romania have been found dead after torrential rainstorms left scores of people stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities said.

Five people in eastern Romania have been found dead after torrential rainstorms left scores of people stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities said Saturday.

Rescue services scrambled to save 95 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 it was determined 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.

Emergency authorities released video footage that showed a team of rescuers evacuating an elderly man on a small lifeboat before carrying him to safety.

A Black Hawk helicopter was deployed to Galati 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. Some roads have also been closed.

Romania’s environment minister Mircea Fechet told The Associated Press Saturday that, in some of the badly flooded areas, more than 160 liters of rain fell per square meter 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, added.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis offered his condolences on Saturday to the victims’ bereaved families and said, “we must continue to strengthen our capacity to anticipate extreme weather phenomena” in the face of climate change.