01:35Five people in eastern Romania were found dead following torrential rainstorms that unleashed unprecedented rainfall, leaving hundreds stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities reported on Saturday.
Footage filmed in Bucharest shows rescue operations underway, as locals battle their way through floodwaters.
The hardest-hit eastern counties of Galați and Vaslui, where the bodies of three elderly women and two men were discovered in the localities of Pechea, Draguseni, Costache Negri, and Corod, according to Romania's Department for Emergency Situations.
Authorities later clarified that one of the victims had been dead for two days and had not perished due to the storm. Emergency teams released video footage showing rescuers navigating muddy waters in lifeboats and carrying elderly residents to safety.
Romania’s Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, emphasised the rarity of the storm, noting that over 160 litres of rain fell per square metre in some of the most affected areas. "What we are trying to do right now is save as many lives as possible," Fechet said as he travelled to Galați to assess the situation.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis expressed condolences to the victims' families and urged for improved preparedness against extreme weather. "We are again dealing with the effects of climate change, which are increasingly present throughout the European continent, with dramatic consequences on people," Iohannis wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile, other Central European nations are bracing for similar storms. In the Czech Republic, heavy rain and high winds left over 63,000 households without power, with rivers flooding houses and roads.
The severe weather is expected to impact other nations, including Poland, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary, over the weekend.
Torrential rainstorms claim five lives in Romania, trigger major flooding in Central Europe
Five people in eastern Romania were found dead following torrential rainstorms that unleashed unprecedented rainfall, leaving hundreds stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities reported on Saturday.
Footage filmed in Bucharest shows rescue operations underway, as locals battle their way through floodwaters.
The hardest-hit eastern counties of Galați and Vaslui, where the bodies of three elderly women and two men were discovered in the localities of Pechea, Draguseni, Costache Negri, and Corod, according to Romania's Department for Emergency Situations.
Authorities later clarified that one of the victims had been dead for two days and had not perished due to the storm. Emergency teams released video footage showing rescuers navigating muddy waters in lifeboats and carrying elderly residents to safety.
Romania’s Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, emphasised the rarity of the storm, noting that over 160 litres of rain fell per square metre in some of the most affected areas. "What we are trying to do right now is save as many lives as possible," Fechet said as he travelled to Galați to assess the situation.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis expressed condolences to the victims' families and urged for improved preparedness against extreme weather. "We are again dealing with the effects of climate change, which are increasingly present throughout the European continent, with dramatic consequences on people," Iohannis wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile, other Central European nations are bracing for similar storms. In the Czech Republic, heavy rain and high winds left over 63,000 households without power, with rivers flooding houses and roads.
The severe weather is expected to impact other nations, including Poland, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary, over the weekend.
Five people in eastern Romania were found dead following torrential rainstorms that unleashed unprecedented rainfall, leaving hundreds stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities reported on Saturday.
Footage filmed in Bucharest shows rescue operations underway, as locals battle their way through floodwaters.
The hardest-hit eastern counties of Galați and Vaslui, where the bodies of three elderly women and two men were discovered in the localities of Pechea, Draguseni, Costache Negri, and Corod, according to Romania's Department for Emergency Situations.
Authorities later clarified that one of the victims had been dead for two days and had not perished due to the storm. Emergency teams released video footage showing rescuers navigating muddy waters in lifeboats and carrying elderly residents to safety.
Romania’s Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, emphasised the rarity of the storm, noting that over 160 litres of rain fell per square metre in some of the most affected areas. "What we are trying to do right now is save as many lives as possible," Fechet said as he travelled to Galați to assess the situation.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis expressed condolences to the victims' families and urged for improved preparedness against extreme weather. "We are again dealing with the effects of climate change, which are increasingly present throughout the European continent, with dramatic consequences on people," Iohannis wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile, other Central European nations are bracing for similar storms. In the Czech Republic, heavy rain and high winds left over 63,000 households without power, with rivers flooding houses and roads.
The severe weather is expected to impact other nations, including Poland, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary, over the weekend.