Three Southeastearn European states are among the six countries in the world most affected by extreme weather events last year, according to environmental group Germanwatch's Global Climate Risk Index (CRI).

The index [PDF] analyses the impacts of extreme weather events both in terms of fatalities and of losses incurred by the economy.

Bulgaria ranked sixth, after Serbia, Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Philippines, and Pakistan.

Out of these, it was the fourth in terms of "absolute losses" in USD M, estimated at USD 2.383 B, and the third in "losses per unit GDP%" (after Bosnia and Serbia).

Bulgaria's east was hit by heavy floods early in the summer of 2014, claiming the lives of 12 people, and was followed by a hailstorm which caused damage worth millions in the capital Sofia.

In August, the northwestern village of Mizia was hit by floods which left most of the village under water for days.

Between 1995 and 2014, more than 525 000 people died worldwide and losses of more than USD 2.97 trillion (in PPP) were incurred as a direct result of over 15 000 extreme weather events," the report also reads.

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