Damaging floods swept through villages in southeastern Bulgaria and on the Black Sea coast, claiming the lives of three people and forcing hundreds to leave their homes, authorities said on Friday.

Interior Minister Daniel Mitov told journalists that three people, including two rescuers, had died in the floods in the Elenite seaside resort following torrential rain.

The infrastructure in parts of the coastal region was heavily damaged, with floods sweeping cars and caravans into the sea and inundating houses, hotels and campsites.

Specialized teams from the Bulgarian Navy have been deployed to search for missing people and assist the evacuation efforts.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in several towns along the Black Sea coast, where regional public transport is halted due to flooded roads after days of extreme rainfall – reaching 400 liters of rain per square meter.

At the same time, the northwestern parts of the country were hit by severe winter weather with heavy snowfall continuing for a second day in the Balkan Range.

Many villages in the region suffered power outages caused by the wet snow.

Roads and mountain passes were closed to traffic.

The national railway company reported significant train delays and cancellations caused by fallen trees damaging overhead power lines.