site.btaHalf of Bulgaria Hit by Heavy Snowfall, Disturbances Reported in Some Parts

Nearly half of Bulgaria's regions were hit by heavy snowfall on Thursday, with disturbances reported in some parts of the country. A total of 261 snowplows working to clean the main roads across the country, the Road Infrastructure Agency said.

The heaviest snowfall was reported in the regions of Vratsa, Montana and Lovech in Northwest and North-Central Bulgaria, as well as in the mountain passes in the Balkan Range. Two snowplows were working at the Petrohan Pass, where the road was cleared and declared passable in these conditions.

The Sofia Directorate of the Ministry of Interior advised drivers not to use their vehicles in the capital on Thursday unless travel is urgent. 109 snowplows were clearing the streets in the capital after the snow started Thursday.

Snow was falling across the Veliko Tarnovo Region in Central Bulgaria as well, the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry stressed, adding that there have been no reports of serious road accidents, closed road sections or introduced restrictions. Two snowplows were also continuously sanding the road on the northern side of the Shipka pass, the on-duty teams of the Regional Road Directorate in Gabrovo said.

Eleven snowplows were working on the roads in Blagoevgrad Region in Southwest Bulgaria, where the situation was reported to be under control, the duty officer at the Regional Road Administration told BTA. 

The main roads in the regions of Pleven, Kyustendil and Lovech, as well as the municipalities of Troyan, Samokov and Svishtov were passable in winter conditions, the local administrations reported.

Because of intense rainfall on Wednesday, a partial state of emergency was declared in Krumovgrad Municipality in the southern Kardzhali Region, where some settlements reported rainfall of 280 litres per square metre, the Hydrometeorological Observatory in Kardzhali pointed out.

Kirkovo Municipality also reported rainfall of 160 litres per square metre for Wednesday and Thursday. The Krumovitsa River overflowed its bed and threatened to flood the nearby settlements at one point, before the situation calmed down and a drop in river levels was observed.

Because of the extreme weather conditions, some settlements in Kotel Municipality (Central Bulgaria) reported power outages, with the village of Yablanovo stating that its power supply had been restored first.

Heavy rainfall triggered landslides in Smolyan Region (Southern Bulgaria), the officer on duty at the Regional Road Administration in Smolyan told BTA. Road maintenance teams were constantly patrolling the roads in the region and clearing fallen earth masses, urging drivers to be more careful and drive at a reasonable speed.

Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport is operating normally under winter conditions. Тhe airport authorities told BTA that the runway and taxiways are being treated to prevent the accumulation of snow, and de-icing procedures are being carried out on aircraft. Passengers are urged to check the current status of flights on the airport’s official website.