site.btaFlood in Bourgas Region Claims Three Lives

ESD 16:17:30 06-09-2014
MY1617ES.103
103 ENVIRONMENT - FLOODS - BOURGAS - VICTIMS

Flood in
Bourgas
Claims Two Lives


Sofia, September 6 (BTA) - A flood caused by torrential rains in
Bourgas (on the Black Sea) claimed the lives of two females,
said Bourgas Mayor Dimiter Nikolov on Saturday. The two women
were travelling along the Bourgas-Sozopol road when their cars
were swept away by a wave of water, which is the result of heavy
rains over the past 24 hours. A few other cars were also
flipped upside down by the flood waters around 2:00 am on the
same road.

According to Nikolov, the tragedy was caused by the heavy
rainfall and not by a surge from bodies of water, because no
such are located nearby. The heavy rain has swept away tens of
other vehicles, which were travelling in the vicinity, to a
gully. The Mayor expressed his condolences to the two women's
families and friends. Bourgas Municipality has declared
September 8 a day of mourning in memory of the two victims,
Nikolov told BTA.

President Rosen Plevneliev expressed his and the Bulgarian
people's sympathy to the victims' families and friends. He
further said that it is about time that the needed preventative
measures are taken, so that such tragedies can be avoided.

The body of a young man was found near the village of Yasna
Polyana. The man lived in a caravan near the village and was a
shepherd, police sources told BTA. The man was declared missing
last night after heavy rain struck the region of Bourgas.
According to preliminary information, the man who drowned was 27
years old. The body was found by people who were off-roading in
the region.

The Pobeda residential areas in Bourgas was heavily flooded by
the pouring rain last night, forcing the evacuation of 15
residents. They have been accommodated at a shelter for the
homeless.

The Municipality of Primorsko has declared a state of emergency
due to the heavy rain. The infrastructure there is damages,
roads are closed, a bridge has collapsed and homes were flooded.
VI/MY