Fatal floods hit Varna, cars and buildings washed into the Black Sea

More than a month of rain fell last night in the Varna district causing flash floods throughout the area, with an estimated 140 million litres of water / hour passing through central Varna’s flood defences. Most effected is the seaside town of Asparuhovo located just south of Varna: landslides, mudslides and flooding has claimed the majority of victims here, roads have been swept away, entire buildings have vanished overnight. The death toll is expected to climb as the emergency services reach all every impacted building. Engineers are working to restore electricity supply, for the next 24 hours at least local residents are without power.

Reuters news agency quoted Ivan Portnih, Mayor of Varna, as saying ‘the tragedy is enormous. I am here on a street in the suburb of Aspruhovo. The street is not here, the houses are not here, there are cars on top of each other’. With at least 11 deaths resulting from the floods, the 23^rd June has been declared a day of national mourning.

Bulgaria’s Air Force has reacted by deploying two of its recently acquire Couger helicopters to conduct search and rescue missions, early today a man was winched to safety in the holiday resort of Albena having become stranded on the roof of a floating caravan. Some 500 tourists have been evacuated from Albena via military trucks and boats.

Already the politics of the situation has come to light with allegations of deforestation and incompetency as even Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski publically declared the mayor of Varna as ‘inadequate as he dabbles in politics instead of helping people’. He pledged that financial aid will be available to those who need it.