Heavy rains in Bulgaria cause flooding

Hard rains over the last three days led to massive flooding across Bulgaria, but no victims were reported, authorities said Monday.

The heavy rain caused river banks to overflow, leaving dozens of homes underwater, the Civil Defense Agency said. Several roads have become impassable, causing severe traffic jams, and villages have been cut off after floodwaters destroyed bridges and caused landslides.

The situation was particularly bad in Balkan country's capital, Sofia, and some nearby villages, and in the central town of Veliko Tarnovo.

The southbound international highway, linking Sofia with the capitals of Greece and Macedonia, was closed temporarily because of a landslide in the village of Vladaya, just outside Sofia.

Following a period of hot and humid weather, Bulgaria has been hit by heavy storms and torrential rains over the past few days.

Meteorologists have forecast more rains during the next days.