Five dead, hundreds stranded as torrential rainstorms hit eastern Romania

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BUCHAREST — Five people have been found dead in eastern Romania after unprecedented rainstorms caused severe flooding, leaving hundreds stranded in affected areas, emergency authorities reported on Saturday.

Rescue services worked tirelessly in the heavily impacted eastern counties of Galati and Vaslui.

The bodies of three elderly women and two men were discovered in Pechea, Draguseni, Costache Negri, and Corod, according to the Department for Emergency Situations.

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

Emergency officials released video footage showing rescue teams using small boats to navigate through muddy waters and evacuate people, including elderly individuals, to safety.

In Galati, where the flooding was particularly severe, 5,000 households were affected. A Black Hawk helicopter was deployed to assist with search and rescue operations.

The storms impacted 19 localities across eight counties in Romania, causing strong winds to uproot trees, damage cars, and block roads. Authorities issued text message alerts to warn residents about the adverse weather as emergency services worked to remove floodwaters from homes.

By 1 p.m. local time on Saturday, over 250 people had been evacuated with the help of 700 personnel from the interior ministry. Romania’s environment minister, Mircea Fechet, reported that some areas experienced more than 160 liters of rain per square meter (about 10.7 square feet), a rare and extreme event.

“What we are trying to do right now is save as many lives as possible,” Fechet said while en route to Galati to assess the situation.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis expressed his condolences to the victims’ families on Facebook, stating, “We must continue to strengthen our capacity to anticipate extreme weather phenomena.” He emphasized that the severe floods and their impacts are a stark reminder of the increasingly dramatic consequences of climate change.

The stormy weather also affects several central European countries, with severe flooding anticipated in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary over the weekend.

In the Czech Republic, river waters reached dangerous levels, flooding homes and roads in several towns and villages. Heavy rain and strong winds caused power outages for more than 63,000 households, according to the Czech power company CEZ. A hospital in Brno had to evacuate, and numerous railways were closed due to fallen trees and floodwaters.

In Austria, 24 villages in the northeast Lower Austria province were declared “disaster zones” as authorities began evacuating residents. State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner warned of potential challenges of historic dimensions, and flood relief channels in Vienna, designed in the 1970s and ’80s, are expected to be tested by rising water levels.

Heavy rain also affected Moldova, where emergency workers pumped floodwater from homes in various localities. Meteorologists predict that a low-pressure system from northern Italy will bring significant rainfall to the Czech Republic, including border regions with Austria, Germany, and Poland.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala urged preparedness for worst-case scenarios, stating, “A tough weekend is ahead of us.” In Poland, evacuation measures were taken in two villages near Nysa after meteorologists warned of unprecedented rainfall. Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak cautioned that “the worst is yet to come” and advised residents to stock up on essentials and prepare for potential power outages. — Agencies