Four dead, hundreds evacuated as torrential rains hit Romania

Days of torrential rains in Romania have claimed four lives and forced more than 250 people to flee their homes, local authorities said Sunday.

High waters swept away two men and a woman, while a fourth person was crushed when flooding caused her home to collapse.

An embankment gave way in the hard-hit central Covasna region, swamping several villages including Bacel and Lunca Marcusului.

"Firefighters and paramilitary police have been deployed," said emergency situations spokesman Marius Tolvaj. "Work is ongoing to rebuild the dike so that we can empty the water from the flooded houses."

More than 250 area residents have fled the rising waters, he said.

Flooding affected around 100 towns across Romania, washing away bridges and destroying dozens of homes.

15 dead in Vietnam flash floods, landslides
Hanoi (AFP) June 26, 2018 - Flash floods and landslides killed 15 people in Vietnam's mountainous north, officials said Tuesday, after storms ravaged homes and wiped out crops and infrastructure.

At least 12 people are still missing after the weekend floods, and hundreds of police and soldiers have been deployed to help clean-up efforts.

Vietnam is frequently lashed by harsh weather in the rainy season between June and November.

The latest storm hit several northern provinces, littering the area with piles of rubble and trees as residents scrambled to clean up their destroyed homes.

"Three died when their houses collapsed in Ha Giang province, while 12 others were swept away by flash floods, landslides and collapsed houses in Lai Chau province," the national committee on disaster control said Tuesday.

It said the storm caused $6.1 million in damage in the region.

One fish farmer said she lost everything when floods swept through her property and destroyed her pond worth $300,000.

"We are now deep in debt. All our fish were lost in the flash floods. We don't know what to do now," Do Thi Huong told AFP from Lai Chau province.

Several remote communities were still cut off Tuesday after rocks and mud blocked roads in the area.

This is the first major weather incident of the year for Vietnam, which is still reeling after a deadly series of disasters last year.

Natural disasters killed 389 people and caused $2.6 billion in damage in 2017, according to official statistics.

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I.Coast govt calls for evacuation from flood zones in Abidjan
Abidjan (AFP) June 21, 2018
Ivory Coast's government on Thursday called for the evacuation of all people living in flood-prone zones in Abidjan, the country's economic hub, after 18 were killed by flash floods triggered by torrential rain. After a national security council meeting headed by President Alassane Ouattara, the government announced "the destruction of structures on storm basins and drainage and sanitation work" and "the evacuation of all people living in risk zones." The statement, read on nationwide TV by Inte ... read more