Nearly 1.2 million sq m, or one fourth of the agricultural land in the Tsar Kaloyan municipalities, was devastated after a flood in the beginning of August 2007, Razgrad regional directorate agriculture and forests head Ancho Haralambiev said.

Eight people drowned in the floods.

Two tidal waves on August 6 and 7 destroyed 705 000 sq m of sunflower crops, or nearly the per cent of the total area planted in the country, Haralambiev said told Bulgarian news agency BTA.

Another 446 000 sq m of maize, 35 000 sq m of tobacco and 5000 sq m of vegetables were also devastated.

Most of the destroyed land was located along the water basins and the Hlebarovska river, which overflowed its banks on August 6 and 7.

The state of emergency in the region is still in force.