Mehedinti police Thursday morning began searching for a resident of Izvoru Barzii, whom his family reported missing following a powerful storm Wednesday night into Thursday morning, Realitatea TV reports.
According to Mehedinti County Police spokeswoman Andreea Dobre, the family of the 59-year-old man called the emergency number 112 to report he was missing. The man travelled by horse-driven cart to see a female cousin of his, yet, he never reached his destination. According to the same source, the horse and cart were found by a brook in the Parlage village Thursday morning, as they were taken away by the strong waves and seriously damaged in the process.
As the man’s whereabouts are unknown, several locals and police are the area where the cart was found, as there is suspected the man was dragged into the flash flood while on his way to his cousin.
Mehedinti County was the scene for about one hour of a violent thunderstorm accompanied by hail Wednesday night into Thursday morning. According to the Mehedinti Agricultural and Rural Development Department Gheorghe Firu, hail was reported in the area of the Brosteni commune, yet, it did not harm grain crops but only local vegetable gardens. Hail also fell over the city of Drobeta Turnu Severin, the Schela Cladovei district, with alleys, gardens and streets covered by a layer of ice.
Powerful storms have been reported in other counties too. In Buzau, two men were struck by thunderbolt, streets were submerged in the city of Suceava, and in Galati, a wind-broken tree branch fell onto a car. Hail destroyed crops in the northern part of the Hunedoara County. Weather experts say rain will continue falling throughout the country in the upcoming days.
