site.btaUPDATED Three Killed in Flood-Hit Resort of Elenite

Three people, including two rescuers, died in a flooded area in the Elenite seaside resort following torrential rain, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov told journalists in Nessebar on Friday.

He said the citizen who was not a rescuer died in the ground level of a building after the first of several tidal waves came.

Rescue crews managed to pull out other people from the building, but this one man was found dead. A post mortem examination is expected to identify the exact cause of his death, Mitov said.

One of the two rescuers who lost their life was a Border Police employee, and the other one was an excavator operator who offered to help. The Interior Minister expressed sympathy for the bereaved. He said warnings are to be issued via the BG-Alert system. He asked people to not refuse to be evacuated.

More rain is expected in the next 24 hours, Mitov said.

The Minister came to Nessebar after the coastal Burgas Region, along with other parts of Bulgaria, declared a state of emergency following downpours which inflicted serious damage on infrastructure. Later, Mitov left Nessebar for Elenite.