A powerful flash flood swept through the mountain town of Bușteni, Prahova Valley, on Sunday afternoon, July 19, carrying cars, rocks, and debris through the streets and temporarily blocking traffic on the busy DN1 national road. Emergency crews rescued several people trapped by the floodwaters, while dozens of homes were inundated.

According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), a 33-year-old woman was caught by the flash flood at the entrance to Bușteni from Sinaia. She was initially helped by a passerby before being taken over by a SMURD emergency medical crew and transported to the hospital. 

According to the head of Romania's Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), Raed Arafat, the injured woman suffered fractures to her lower limbs but remained conscious, News.ro reported. He said authorities had no reports of missing persons or fatalities.

Emergency responders also evacuated one person from a flooded home, rescued two men trapped inside a car, and moved another resident to safety as teams searched homes along Libertății Street for people in need of assistance or evacuation.

By around 5:00 p.m., floodwaters had begun to recede, allowing firefighters to start pumping water from approximately 22 flooded households. Authorities reinforced the response with additional personnel, fire engines, water pumps, and SMURD ambulances. 

Later on Sunday, IGSU said the Bușteni flash flood had affected around 30 vehicles on DN1. Two people trapped inside one vehicle were rescued by firefighters, while another 10 managed to evacuate on their own.

The flooding in Bușteni was part of a broader wave of severe weather that affected 29 localities in 16 counties and Bucharest - where the authorities issued a Red Alert for storms on Sunday afternoon. Across the country, emergency crews removed water from 24 homes, 34 yards, 36 basements, and 23 streets, cleared 123 fallen trees and five electricity poles, and responded to damage involving 88 vehicles.

Road traffic was temporarily disrupted on several national roads, including DN1 in Prahova county, while rail traffic near Voluntari, close to Bucharest, was also briefly affected by storm damage.

Last summer, a violent storm with extremely strong winds struck the popular mountain town of Sinaia, also in Prahova Valley, causing significant damage, injuring at least 16 people, and disrupting transport and local infrastructure. Historical sites in the city have also been affected.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photos: Facebook/Primaria Busteni)