Bulgaria floods: At least 10 killed in port city of Varna

The Black Sea town of Varna has received the equivalent of a month's rainfall in 24 hours

At least 10 people have died and several are missing after torrential rain and heavy floods hit eastern Bulgaria, officials say.

Floodwaters in the Black Sea port city of Varna surged up to 1m (3.2ft).

Many residents had to be rescued as cars were swept away. Hundreds have been left without electricity or food.

There have been hailstorms and heavy rain in several parts of Bulgaria in recent days. Forecasts say the extreme weather is set to continue.

The fast-rising waters swept away cars and flooded homes

The floodwaters arrived so quickly that some people were caught by surprise

The flooding in Bulgaria follows on from similar deluges in the Balkans last month

More bad weather is forecast for the end of the week

Forecasters said that the equivalent of a month's worth of rain fell in the regions of Varna and Burgas over the last 24 hours.

"The tragedy is enormous. I am here on a street in the suburb of Aspruhovo. The street is not here, the houses are not here, there are cars on top of each other," Varna mayor Ivan Portnih was quoted by the Reuters new agency as saying.

Fire-fighters in the town of Kilifarevo in central Bulgaria rescued 11 people from the tops of their houses, police said.

Last month nearby Serbia and Bosnia were hit by the worst flooding since modern records began.