Three dead, four injured as violent storms sweep Romania

Bucharest, Aug 24 (IANS) Three people were killed and four others injured after violent storms hit Romania, emergency services said.

The storms battered 18 counties and the capital Bucharest, toppling more than 240 trees and power poles, flooding dozens of basements and courtyards, and damaging over 70 cars, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) reported on Saturday.

In Arges county, the roof of a building collapsed on three people, killing an 18-year-old man and injuring two others. In Ilfov county, north of Bucharest, two people kayaking on Lake Snagov drowned after their boat capsized in rough waters, Xinhua news agency reported.

In Prahova county and Bucharest, two other people were injured when struck by a falling roof and a tree, respectively. All four injured victims were hospitalized but remained conscious, authorities said.

Authorities issued 19 weather alerts via the RO-Alert system across 12 counties and Bucharest on Friday evening.

The emergency response agency later said that two women, an 85- and an 83-year-old, were also victims of the flood. Firefighters had to use an excavator to retrieve one of the bodies from a riverbed.

The Environment Ministry’s water management agency said some rivers rose to record high water levels. Repair works on collapsed bridges were underway, it said.

Romania has faced increasingly frequent episodes of extreme weather this summer, with officials urging residents to take shelter when storm warnings are issued.

--IANS

int/rs