Flood Death Toll in NW Bulgaria Climbs to 2

The death toll from the floods in the northwestern Bulgarian town of Mizia has climbed to two. An elderly woman was found dead Sunday afternoon.

Earlier the same day, an elderly man was found dead in his home by his son, a police officer who had been dispatched to the flood-stricken site.

Outgoing Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev announced in an interview for Darik radio that the police were still looking for 10 people who were not among the evacuees.

Local police reported that some 500 people had been evacuated from their homes after the heavy rain on Saturday evening.

The floodwaters have caused 10 houses to collapse, leaving numerous other buildings under water.

The damage caused by the heavy rainfall is still being evaluated as rescue teams strive to bring the critical situation under control.

Local authorities assured that no dam walls had been torn by the high waters and the damage was only caused by the torrential rain.

Outgoing Environment Minister Stanislav Atanasov suggested that the local authorities had failed to take precautions on the basis of code yellow weather alerts.