Romania flash floods kill eight and force evacuations

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Flash floods in the eastern Galati region of Romania have left eight people dead, including a child, and forced hundreds to evacuate.

Heavy rain has caused rivers in the region to overflow, inundating hundreds of houses.

The interior ministry said nearly 400 people had been rescued from their homes or flooded areas overnight

The child who died was an eight-year-old girl reportedly swept from her father's arms in the town of Cudalbi.

The mayor of Cudalbi, Stefan Drugan, told Romania's Mediafax news agency that her body had been found some 500 metres (yards) from her home.

Two of those killed had suffered heart attacks, said local official Nicholas Bacalbasa, and one person was missing.

He told Mediafax that emergency workers were going from house to house searching for possible victims and that the number of victims could rise.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta has called an emergency meeting and sent a deputy to inspect the region, said Mediafax.

Further rain is forecast in the area over the coming days.