At least 10 people die in flooding in eastern Bulgaria after torrential rain hits region

Cars pile up in the flooded area of the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup) (The Associated Press)

prev next

People try to protect themselves from the water in the flooded area of the Black sea town of Varna, Bulgaria, Thursday, June 19, 2014. Two people and a child are reported dead and four more are missing. Torrential rain caused severe flooding in Bulgaria, sweeping away cars, reducing scores of homes to rubble, the country's civil defense authority said. (AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup) (The Associated Press)

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bulgarian authorities say ten people have died and several others are missing after heavy rain and flooding hit the Black Sea port city of Varna.

Regional police chief Nikolai Kalchev said that ten bodies were found to have been swept away by floodwaters late Thursday. He could not say how many more people were missing after torrential rain flooded large parts of the coastal town.

TV footage from Varna showed streets flooded in meter-high muddy water, with dozens of cars drifting along and rescue teams trying to make their way to people in distress.

Large parts of the Balkan country have been hit by heavy rain and hailstorms, and hundreds of people have been left without electricity and food supplies.