At least 10 dead as flash floods hit Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece

Istanbul, Sep 6 (EFE).- At least 10 people have died and several are missing after torrential rains and flash floods struck Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece, authorities reported on Wednesday.

In the northwestern Turkish Kirklareli province, near the border with Greece and Bulgaria, three people died after a group of 12 got trapped in a hotel and swelling rainwaters swept away several bungalows.

Six people were rescued with boats and heavy machinery and three others remain missing, according to reports on the NTV television network.

In the Sisli valley, located some 10 kilometers south of the Bulgarian border, at least two people died on Wednesday when floodwaters swept their car away.

In Istanbul two people have died and torrential rains have flooded thousands of houses, subway stations and a hospital.

The city’s governor, Davut Gul, said the local government would provide shelter to those who had been affected by the floods after two of Istanbul’s neighborhoods were affected by the heavy rain.

Gul added that the city had seen the equivalent of up to three months of rain in the last few hours.

In Bulgaria, a search is underway for several missing persons and at least two people have died.

The municipality of Tsarevo, on the shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria’s southeastern border with Turkey, has been the most affected region.

In Greece, at least one person has died and another is missing in the central Magnesia prefecture, a spokesperson from the fire department told Efe.EFE

dt/ch