Severe overnight floods in eastern Romania killed three elderly people and damaged thousands of homes, with hundreds of people evacuated and four helicopters searching for stranded villagers, officials said on Monday.

Torrential rainstorms hit Romania overnight and into Monday, triggering flash floods in the country's northeast and killing at least three people, officials said. Hundreds were forced to leave their homes as Romania’s rescue services deployed in the hard-hit counties of Neamt and Suceava.

People in eastern Romania clean up after flash floods destroy homes and force hundreds to evacuate:: Suceava County, RomaniaSome 25 villages across nine counties were affected by heavy rain and high winds,