Downpour in Rousse causes severe damages, people described it as “real disaster’

A thunderstorm in Rousse, Northern Bulgaria, early this morning, June 6, caused severe damages. Strong winds knocked down trees, downed power lines and destroyed agricultural produce. Streets and ground floors are under water and the temporary roof of the opera house has been blown away. The municipality of Ivanovo was left without electricity.

The area around “Duhivno Vazrazhdane” Street in the central part of the city was one of the most affected places. The street was impassable due to ice chunks and mud.

Currently, there is no information about injured people in the city. Rousse is gradually recovering.

However, the material damage is serious. People describe it as a "real disaster". Many residents joined the clean-up.

10 minutes of hail and 17 litres of rain per square metre caused the damages in Rousse.

Public transport remained paralysed due to the muddy water running down the main boulevards in the city. The rain turned the streets into rivers. Only the roofs of the stranded cars were visible.

A car was swallowed up by a suddenly formed pit on "Makedonska" street. The driver barely got out.

The disaster left the Opera House without a roof, which was temporary after fire damage. The stage was drenched.

"We did not expect such a downpour. In 2,3 days we expect a crane and continue with the repairs," said Plamen Beykov, director of the Rousse State Opera.

Trains to Sofia and Varna are running late because of fallen trees on the tracks.

A fire in a transformer station further complicated the work of firefighters. All morning residents of Rousse have been clearing branches that have fallen from the trees and pieces of broken glass in front of their homes and have been trying to prevent ground floors from flooding.

More than 300 municipal employees are working to remove damages, but they are everywhere and it takes time to respond to the 200 signals.

"People should not travel if not absolutely necessary. We have got in touch with the companies doing the plumbing repairs because I am aware of huge landslides, including a car that had fallen in a pit," said Pencho Milkov, mayor of Rousse.

It is expected that the clearing of the city will continue tomorrow.

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