site.btaGale-Force Wind, Torrential Rains Claim Three Casualties, at Least One Person Unaccounted For

Gale-Force Wind, Torrential Rains Claim Three Casualties, at Least One Person Unaccounted For


Sofia, February 1 (BTA) - Gale-force wind caused deaths and widespread damage across Bulgaria, especially in the Northwest, on the night of Friday to Saturday. The situation in Eastern and Southern Bulgaria deteriorated further on Sunday because of torrential rains. As a result, three people have died and at least one is missing.

The police said that a woman died in the region of Rousse on Saturday after a tree fell over a car. A 47-year old man and nine-year old child from the village of Ilindentsi, Stroumiani Municipality, drowned. In Petrich, a 30-year old woman is missing after she took her dog for a walk along the river on Sunday.

The Interior Ministry said on Sunday that Interior Minister Vesselin Vouchkov has convened an operational taskforce with the Fire Safety and Protection of Population Service.

The situation in the regions of Bourgas, Smolyan, Kurdjali, Haskovo, Varna and Montana has deteriorated due to the strong winds and torrential rains.

A 30 m/sec wind struck Montana Region during the night to Saturday, said Regional Governor Ivailo Petrov. A state of disaster has been declared in Vurshets Municipality. The gale there brought down trees and power line poles, stripped roofs and blocked roads with branches and tree chunks. Part of the villages in the municipality have been left without electricity because of ruptured power lines. In most settlements, cars have been smashed by fallen trees and roof debris and window panes have been shattered. Mobile telephone communications were disrupted as well.

A 150 km/h wind mowed dozens of trees in the town park of Vurshets, which is the country's second largest after the Boris Garden in Sofia, municipality Mayor Ivan Lazarov told an extraordinary news conference. The trees were planted between 80 and 100 years ago.

On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev visited Vurshets to inspect the wind-caused damage.

In Rousse (on the Danube), the wind velocity reached 144 km/h on Saturday morning. No serious damage is reported.

A house collapsed in the Village of Drangovo, Kurdjali Region (South Central Bulgaria), the Regional Administration said. The strong wind broke a power line, disrupting electricity supply to 24 settlements in the Kurdjali Region.

The Makaza-Nymphea Checkpoint on Bulgaria's border with Greece also suffered a power outage due to the strong wind, the Kurdjali Regional Administration said.

Following Sunday's torrential rains a partial state of emergency was declared in Bourgas where 120 houses, basements and yards have been flooded. The entire area of Dolno Ezerovo is under water, which reaches between 50 and 80 cm.

A state of emergency has been declared in the municipality of Smolyan. A plan has been put in place to evacuate the population and build dykes in high-risk areas. Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev and Defence Minister Nikolai Nenchev visited Smolyan to familiarize themselves with the problems caused by the floods.

A state of emergency has been declared also in eight villages in the Municipality of Aksakovo and parts of Dobrich Municipality, according to the regional safety council. Mayor Ivan Alexiev said that the situation in the Black Sea town of Pomorie has been critical in the past 24 hours because of torrential rains and strong winds.

In Kurdjali Region rain quantities exceeded 200 l/1 sq m, according to the regional administration.

Dams in Southern and Eastern Bulgaria have been overflowing or their waters are released but there are no critical situations, according to the Environment Ministry. Landslides have been reported in many regions.

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An SUV vehicle fell in the swollen River Devinska near Devin (Southern Bulgaria) and the two passengers are believed to have died, the police in Smolyan said. The vehicle was found some 3 km down stream. It is unknown whether the accident is related to the higher river levels. PK/LG,PP, DS


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