site.btaOdesa Floods Leave Ten Dead, Day of Mourning Declared

Ten people, including a child, have died after heavy rain hit the Ukrainian city of Odesa, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration Oleksiy Kuleba said on Wednesday. A day of mourning has been declared in the city.

Kuleba reported on Telegram that the city was facing serious impacts from the natural disaster, as over twelve hours of rainfall had led to fatalities. He offered condolences to the families of the victims.

He said a special commission would be established within the Odesa Region Military Administration to investigate the cause of the incident. He spoke with residents of the most severely affected areas, where people had lost property and heating equipment had been damaged due to the flooding.

Kuleba reported that over 1,000 individuals have requested assistance as a result of the floods. Approximately 300 private homes and 400 apartment buildings in the city have sustained damage.

Bulgarians in the Odesa region number more than 150,000 and were the third largest population group in Ukraine in 2001, according to the official census. About 50,000 - 60,000 Bulgarians live in the city of Odesa itself. The largest compact Bulgarian population is concentrated in the Bolhrad, Izmail and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi districts.