Floods leave three dead, hundreds of households under water, tens of villages in blackout

Three people died, and hundreds of households got under water in the latest abundant rainfalls having savaged Romania, reads a release issued by the Ministry of the Interior and Administrative Reform (MIRA).

Rain showers accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning ran havoc on counties in the southern, eastern, northern and south-western parts of the country.

As many as 14 automobiles were carried away by water in the village of Sambata de Sus, Brasov County, and 30 people got isolated for almost four hours. Eighty people in 40 automobiles stayed isolated for two hours at the Negru Voda Monastery and the Coltii Berzei cabin. Two groups of tourists were rushed into safety they were unable to continue on the mountain trail of Valea Sambetei because of bad weather and no equipment.

Lighting burnt down a building in the village of Vistea, Brasov County.

In Suceava County, over 40 houses were damaged by rain and village roads were destroyed. A young man got drowned into the Lucava stream after his car slipped into the stream.

A child aged 15 of the Visna village, Dambovita County, was struck by lighting as he was leading out his cattle to graze.

Lighting also killed a 65-year-old man in Gorj County who was leading his cattle in the field.

Rain seriously damaged the electricity supply system of the counties of Arges, Brasov, Dambovita, Harghita, Valcea and Teleorman.

According to the MIRA release, some 400 fire fighters, gendarmes and police officers using 30 large intervention vehicles joined the actions conducted to save the life and goods of people in distress, to resume traffic fluency, and to clear ditches and storm water channels of mud. ROMPRES