site.btaSevere Hailstorm Hits Central and Northern Bulgaria, No Injuries Reported

A severe hailstorm combined with torrential rain on Wednesday evening flooded streets and homes in central and northern Bulgaria, damaging agricultural crops and snapping trees. Among the most affected were the regions of Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Shumen, Lovech, Yambol and Sliven. The Interior Ministry said that a total of 41 reports of accidents were received at the Fire Safety and Protection units in the affected regions, with no injuries reported.

The hailstorm caused material damage to buildings and cars in Veliko Tarnovo and surrounding settlements. Mayor Daniel Panov reported numerous reports of fallen trees, cars hit by trees and damage to the roof of a school, which caused Thursday to be declared a non-school day at the affected school.

In Lovech, 25 litres per square metre of rain fell in just 20 minutes, with a wind speed of 15 metres per second, said Martin Machev, Director of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology. Some settlements experienced power supply interruptions. Mayor Stratsimir Petkov noted that a partial state of emergency was declared in the Lovech village of Radyuvene, as large hailstones damaged house roofs and left parts of the village without electricity.

In Gabrovo and Shumen, hail as big as hazelnuts fell for nearly 20 minutes, as the storm flooded streets and made them impassable.