Flash floods in Romania kill at least 3 people and force hundreds of evacuations

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — 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. Helicopters and firefighters rescued residents, some of whom were trapped in their homes by floodwaters. Authorities said that 890 people were evacuated from Neamt.

First responders found a 66-year-old man dead at the bottom of a stream in the town of Neagra, according to the Department for Emergency Situations. Two women who had been reported missing were also later found dead.

Authorities also released images showing raging muddy floodwaters strewn with battered vehicles and other debris, as well as damaged homes.

In this image released by the Romanian Emergency Services Suceava (ISU Suceava) first responders walk by damaged vehicles after a flash flood in the village of Brosteni, northern Romania, Monday, July 28, 2025. (Romanian Emergency Services - ISU Suceava via AP)

In this image released by the Romanian Emergency Services Suceava (ISU Suceava) first responders walk by damaged vehicles after a flash flood in the village of Brosteni, northern Romania, Monday, July 28, 2025. (Romanian Emergency Services - ISU Suceava via AP)

In this image released by the Romanian Emergency Services Suceava (ISU Suceava) damage from a flood is seen in the village of Brosteni, northern Romania, Monday, July 28, 2025. (Romanian Emergency Services - ISU Suceava via AP)

In this image released by the Romanian Emergency Services Suceava (ISU Suceava)a car and house are damaged after a flash flood in the village of Brosteni, northern Romania, Monday, July 28, 2025. (Romanian Emergency Services - ISU Suceava via AP)

In this image released by the Romanian Emergency Services Suceava (ISU Suceava) a house is damaged after a flash flood in the village of Brosteni, northern Romania, Monday, July 28, 2025. (Romanian Emergency Services - ISU Suceava via AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain.

South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks strike midnight in Auckland, a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball drops in New York’s Times Square.

The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors of the 240-meter (787-foot) Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s North Island on Wednesday due to forecasts of rain and possible thunderstorms.

Australia’s east coast welcomes 2026 two hours after New Zealand, but in Sydney, the country's largest city, celebrations will be held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.

A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the downtown waterfront on Wednesday to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, in a first for the annual event.

An hour before midnight, the massacre victims will be commemorated with one minute of silence while images of a menorah are projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd has been invited to show their solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community by shining their phone torches across the harbor.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.

“We can’t be in a situation where this horrible, criminal, terrorist event changes the way we live in our beautiful city,” Minns told reporters on Wednesday.

“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he added.

In Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back New Year's Eve festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by catastrophic floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.

The capital, Jakarta, will not ring in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing instead subdued celebrations with a calm and reflective program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.

Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties altogether, calling for prayer and reflection instead. "Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.

Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali have been canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring 65 groups performing traditional dances.

Hong Kong, too, will ring in 2026 without the usual spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.

The city’s tourism board will instead host a music show featuring soft rock duo Air Supply and other singers in Central, a business district. The facades of eight landmarks will turn into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.

Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.

In Japan, crowds will gather at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony will be held at the Bosingak Pavilion.

Tourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital's cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The famous Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.

Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

A person walks by illuminated decorations on New Year's Eve in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora, hosts of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026," in New York at the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

A vendor sells New Year's eve party goods at a market in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

A families pose for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac as people visit a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)