TBILISI (Reuters) – Flooding caused by heavy rain and rivers bursting their banks in Armenia and Georgia has left one person dead, villages cut off and hundreds of people being evacuated from their homes, according to television footage and media reports in the region.
One person was killed and buildings and infrastructure were destroyed, Russia’s TASS news agency cited Armenia’s interior ministry as saying on Sunday. At least 230 people were evacuated from dangerous areas in the north of Armenia, agencies reported.
Radio Free Europe reported that the Debed river had burst its banks, blocking a highway and a railway link between Armenia and Georgia.
Video footage in Marneuli and Bolnisi in Georgia showed submerged streets and stranded vehicles. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the flood zone on Sunday, TV footage showed.
Georgia’s Interpress news agency reported that at least 15 villages were cut off from the outside world due to heavy rainfall.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
