Two killed as stormy winds lash Bulgaria, Romania

SOFIA: Two people died as stormy winds swept through Bulgaria and neighbouring Romania overnight on Sunday.

Heavy rains and snowfall cut electricity lines and blocked or flooded roads in the east of the two countries, prompting a state of emergency in Bulgaria´s Black Sea region of Varna. A 43-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her in downtown Varna late Saturday with falling branches also injuring two ambulance crew members who had rushed to the site of the accident, police said in a statement.

A tree crashed on a passing car on a Sofia suburban boulevard earlier Saturday, killing the 65-year-old driver and seriously injuring his wife, who was hospitalised, authorities said. “Severe weather resulted in the loss of life. Stormy winds and heavy rain, in some places also snow, make the work of emergency teams very difficult at night,” Varna mayor Blagomir Kotsev said in a statement early Sunday, declaring a state of emergency and urging people to remain indoors.