Freak flash flood sweeps away woman in Eastern Hungary

A freak flash flood is believed to have caused the death of a woman in northeast Hungary on Friday, when a thunderstorm in the Zemplén mountains suddenly turned a normally shallow and placid creek in nearby Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county into a four-meter-deep torrent.

According to a report on stop.hu, the Tolcsva creek, which is usually just 15 centimeters deep, was unexpectedly inundated with water from the mountains, sweeping away a 49-year-old woman identified only as Marika.

The woman was at the time collecting wood in her garden, and rain was not falling on the immediate area.

Divers, rescue workers with dogs, and many residents from the area were engaged in a massive search for the woman over the weekend, though as of yet without success.

Experts quoted in the report said that that while people have been known to survive for days after such an accident, the chances that the woman survived the incident are slim. Nevertheless, the family of the woman has apparently not given up hope that she will be found alive.

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