site.btaIce Limits Traffic on Danube, Snow, Low Temperatures Continue to Create Problems

Ice Limits Traffic on Danube, Snow, Low Temperatures Continue to Create Problems

Sofia, Rousse, January 9 (BTA) - Vessel owners are advised to limit traffic along the Danube River because of ice floe. This is among the measures taken at a meeting of a response task force, Rousse Regional Governor Stefko Boyadzhiev said on Monday.

Due to below-zero temperatures the ice floe in the Bulgarian section
of the Danube River continues to increase, reaching 50 per cent in places, according to the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the
Danube River.

The head of Rousse's river monitoring authority with the Bulgarian Maritime Administration, Ivan Zhekov, said the situation was difficult along the entire course of the river. In Romania there are parts completely covered with ice. Zhekov said that the formation of so much ice in two days was unusual.

According to him, if ice floe increases, traffic along the river will be shut down.

All roads to the regions of Dobrich, Silistra and Shoumen are open to traffic, said Regional Development Minister Liliyana Pavlova at a news conference on Sunday afternoon. The northeast of the country has been affected most by the severe winter weather.

All electricity generating facilities are operating normally and there are no failures, said deputy energy minister Nikolai Nikolov.

Military personnel continue to help the local authorities and state institutions to overcome the fallout of the severe weather, the Defence Ministry said on Sunday.