Torrential downpours kill nine in Ukraine's Odesa / Photo: Oleksandr GIMANOV - AFP
Torrential downpours kill nine in Ukraine's Odesa
A severe rainstorm battered the Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight, causing floods that killed at least nine people including a child in the southern port city, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday.
Nearly two months' worth of rain fell in just seven hours, authorities said, with hundreds of rescuers working through the night to evacuate people from flooded areas, remove cars and pump water out of buildings.
An AFP journalist in the Black Sea city saw a bus and car collapsed into a sink hole as a result of the rain.
Zelensky described the situation as "horrific" and said one person was still unaccounted for.
Odesa resident Nadia Zakharchenko was returning home with her daughter when they were caught in the storm, she told AFP.
"It was complete chaos," she said.
"All the cars were stuck, turning around, trying to find a way to move. It was raining, a torrential downpour. It was just a nightmare," she added.
A total of 362 people were rescued, the emergency services said.
Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov said the situation was challenging but "under control".
More bad weather is forecast for tomorrow.
The deadly weather added to the challenges facing emergency services as Ukraine endures daily attacks by Russia, which launched its invasion in February 2022.
burs-brw/jbr/st
T.Evans--PI
