Flooding, Lightning Kill 12 in Romania, Moldova

BUCHAREST, Romania — Flooding and lightning in Romania killed eight people and hundreds of farm animals and destroyed salt caves north of Bucharest, the capital, police and media reported Wednesday.

Four more people died, and two were injured when lightning struck a cornfield in Moldova, a former Soviet republic bordering Romania.

Homes were damaged, and farmland was under water Wednesday in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.

The region has been hit by heavy rain in the past week, including storms in recent days that sent rivers over their banks.

In Romania, police Maj. Viorel Nita said flood waters in a valley rose almost 10 feet overnight to cover three villages northeast of Bucharest.

The flooding caught victims--who were asleep--by surprise, killing seven and forcing the evacuation of 150 families, Nita said. Hundreds of farm animals also were killed, and police and rescue troops were searching the area Wednesday for other possible victims, he said.

Lightning killed one man and injured a woman Tuesday in eastern Romania, the Environment Ministry announced Wednesday.

Four other people died near Ungheni, 60 miles west of Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, in a lightning strike Tuesday, according to officials. Two women injured by the lightning were hospitalized, and doctors said one victim might lose her sight.

Earlier this week, overflowing rivers that flooded farms and cut off villages in Romania also dissolved the salt caves at Slanic-Prahova Mountain, a tourist attraction 60 miles north of Bucharest.

In the Czech Republic, authorities said dozens of houses were flooded around Karvina, 220 miles east of Prague, the capital, and strong winds toppled trees in the Jesenik mountains, cutting power to hundreds of people.

Downed trees and damaged roofs also were reported in central and western Slovakia.

Polish authorities issued a flood warning Wednesday for 15 areas in the south, mainly in the provinces of Krakow and Opole.