Two people were killed in Bulgaria this weekend by a violent storm, which also hit neighboring Romania, causing falling trees and power cuts on the Black Sea coast.
A 43-year-old woman was crushed to death by a tree in the eastern city of Varna on Saturday evening, Bulgarian police said in a statement on Sunday. Two rescuers who came to the scene were also injured by falling branches. Earlier in Sofia, a 65-year-old driver was killed when a tree fell on his car, while his wife was hospitalized in serious condition.
Winds exceeding 100 km/h
If the weather situation calmed down on Sunday in the capital, eastern Bulgaria remains subject to strong winds exceeding 100 km/h and rough seas with waves of more than five meters. The seaside city of Varna has declared a state of emergency, as have eight other localities in the region, with residents asked to stay at home.
“Power was cut in all areas of the city,” said Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, adding that many vehicles had been blocked because of “tons of branches” on the roads. Chaos worsened by snow in the northeast, where police received dozens of calls from motorists in distress.
Air and rail traffic also disrupted
The same storm hit neighboring Romania, where Black Sea ports had to be closed to shipping. The weather service has issued a red alert, the highest level, for the provinces of Constanta and Tulcea. Tens of thousands of homes were deprived of electricity and firefighters intervened to remove 140 trees that had fallen on the road. Around forty vehicles were damaged.
“Fortunately no deaths have been reported at this stage,” Anamaria Stoica, emergency relief spokesperson in Constanta, told AFP. Messages were sent to residents’ phones urging them to be careful. Bulgaria has been the victim of numerous bad weather in recent weeks.
Two men died in early November, while storm Ciaran caused around twenty deaths in Europe. In September, four people had already died in floods.