Man killed in Romania's worst floods for 30 years

The worst flooding to hit northwestern Romania in 30 years killed a man and inundated hundreds of homes, a government statement said Monday.

The worst flooding to hit northwestern Romania in 30 years killed a man and inundated hundreds of homes, a government statement said Monday.

Viorel Jurj, 44, was swept away by high waters Saturday after the Neagra River flooded the village of Poiana Vadului where he lived, some 187 miles northwest of Bucharest.

Local authorities said the efforts to find Jurj's corpse were hampered by a thick sheet of ice which covers the river, the government statement said.

Heavy rains that started last Thursday have flooded some 500 houses, over 32,110 acres of crops and killed thousands of livestock, the government said.

High temperatures also melted snow in the mountains, causing dozens of rivers to overflow, sweeping away over 30 small bridges and 12 dams. Regional road and railway traffic was also disrupted, often due to accidental landslides.

The worst affected counties were Maramures, Hunedoara, Bistrita Nasaud and Cluj. In many communities power and telephone lines were cut and people were forced to find shelter in nearby hills or mountains.

Meteorologists have warned that rain would continue in the same regions in the coming days and urged the authorities to evacuate people living near rivers that might overflow.