Floods in Romania kill 1, hundreds evacuated
BUCHAREST : Severe overnight floods in eastern Romania killed one person and damaged thousands of homes, with hundreds of people evacuated and three helicopters searching for stranded villagers, officials said today.
Some 25 villages across nine counties were affected by heavy rain and high winds, which tore off roofs and uprooted trees, blocking traffic on some national roads, the emergency response agency said.
The worst hit were Neamt and Suceava counties in eastern Romania, where two rivers burst their banks, killing a 66-year-old man and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate.
All access roads to the village of Brosteni in Suceava county were blocked.
The environment ministry's water management agency said some rivers saw record high water levels.
Repair works on collapsed bridges were underway, it said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Six dead, over 230,000 affected as tropical storm Wipha triggers floods across Thailand
BANGKOK, Aug 2 — Floods and landslides triggered by Tropical Storm Wipha since last month have killed six people and affected more than 230,000 people across Thailand, disaster management officials said today. Since 21 July, heavy rains have inundated 12 provinces, mostly in the northern and central regions, according to Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. 'We are closely monitoring the impact of rainstorm Wipha and coordinating with affected provinces to assist those in need,' the agency said in a statement on its official Facebook page. Images on social media showed murky floodwaters, sandbags stacked outside homes, and residents using plastic boats to navigate submerged streets. However the kingdom's meteorological department predicts rainfall will ease in the coming days. While Thailand experiences annual monsoon rains between May and October, scientists say man-made climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. Widespread flooding across Thailand in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes around the country. — AFP
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
Death toll rises in Beijing floods as leaders say disaster planning fell short
BEIJING, July 31 — Beijing city officials admitted today they had not been prepared for heavy rains that soaked swathes of the capital, killing 44 people and leaving nine still missing. Parts of northern China endured deadly rains and floods since last week that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands. The capital's rural suburbs were hardest hit, officials said, raising the toll from the previously reported 30 announced on Tuesday. 'As of midday on July 31, some 44 people have died and nine are still missing as a result of the disasters across the whole of Beijing,' top city official Xia Linmao told a news conference. 'Between July 23 and 29, Beijing suffered extreme rainfall,' he said, adding they had caused 'significant casualties and (other) losses'. Out of those deaths, 31 took place at an 'elderly care centre' in the town of Taishitun in the northeast of the city, Xia said. Among those still missing are local officials working on search and rescue, he added. 'On behalf of the municipal party committee and the city government, I would like to express deep mourning for those who have regrettably lost their lives, and profound condolences to their relatives,' he said. Xia vowed to 'learn profound lessons' from the disaster. 'Our ability to forecast and warn of extreme weather is insufficient, and disaster prevention and mitigation plans have not been fully developed,' he said. 'There are still shortcomings in the construction of infrastructure in mountainous areas,' Xia said. Yu Weiguo, ruling Communist Party boss in the hard-hit Miyun district, also admitted there had been 'gaps' in readiness. 'Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking. This tragic lesson has warned us that putting the people first, putting human life first, is more than a slogan,' he said. 'After reflecting on this painful experience, we must always tightly grasp the string of safety,' Yu added. Devastation Dozens of roads have been closed, villages lost electricity, and homes were submerged due to the rainstorms across Beijing and its neighbouring provinces. Speaking to AFP, villagers in hard-hit areas described being taken by surprise by rushing water that quickly subsumed their homes. 'I've never seen this before, in all my 40 years of life. Neither have those who've lived 80 or 90 years,' villager Hu Yuefang in the northern Beijing district of Huairou said. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
10 confirmed dead after bus accident in north China
Torrential rain and floods in swathes of northern China have killed at least 48 people. (AFP pic) BEIJING : Ten people have been confirmed dead after a bus went missing on Sunday in China's northern Shanxi province, as heavy rain lashed the region this week, state media said today. Torrential rain and floods in swathes of northern China have killed at least 48 people and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands this week. Dozens of roads were closed, villages lost electricity and homes were submerged due to the rainstorms. The 10 people found dead had been riding a bus on Sunday morning when it went missing in the city of Datong, the official Xinhua news agency said. Search efforts will continue for four people still missing, it added. One body had been discovered downstream in the area, Xinhua reported on Sunday. The downpour has killed 30 people in Beijing, with the death toll highest in Miyun, a northeastern suburb. And in Hebei province, which encircles the capital, a landslide in a village killed eight people, with four still missing, state broadcaster CCTV said yesterday. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060.
