Bulgaria's interim government will ask for financial assistance from the EU to deal with the consequences of flooding in the center of the country.

 This was reported by Balkan Insight.

 Emil Kabaivanov, the mayor of the Karlovo municipality, said on Wednesday that 340 houses were damaged by the floods in central Bulgaria and the total damage to infrastructure amounted to more than 30 million euros. "These are only our preliminary estimates. It will be necessary to gradually reconstruct the public infrastructure, and it will last almost two years," Kabayvanov said.

 Heavy rains blanketed the region late last week and caused flooding in three villages near Karlovo and Plovdiv: Bohdan, Karavelove and Slatina. Most of the residents were evacuated. Electricity and water supplies remain damaged throughout the region near Karlovo, and roads and bridges also need reconstruction.

 On Wednesday, the interim government, which will rule until Bulgaria's next general election on October 2, told media that it would likely seek financial aid from Brussels to help the hardest-hit locals. He is currently focused on restoring electricity and water supply. About 378 affected households will receive €191 from the Social Assistance Agency.

 The interim government will also investigate claims by affected local residents that illegal logging may have been the cause of the floods.

 On Monday, President Desislav Radev's wife, former Prime Minister Kyril Petkov, members of the We Continue Change party and members of their closest coalition partner, Democratic Bulgaria, joined volunteers to help rebuild destroyed homes.

 In recent days, hundreds of volunteers, mainly from Sofia and Plovdiv, have come to help the victims. Charitable actions have started. Despite the magnitude of the disaster, no deaths were recorded.