After Two Children, Aged 8 and 11 and Their Grandparents, Lost Their Lives in the Waters of the Struma River: Where Is the Sign Warning That Swimming Is Prohibited?

Three days of mourning have been declared in the municipality of Dupnitsa following the tragedy near the village of Pastuh, in which two children aged eight and eleven, along with their grandmother and grandfather, lost their lives. It also remains unclear what happened to the Municipality of Nevestino's warning sign stating that swimming in the fatal river pool was strictly prohibited.

• Tragedy in Kyustendil District: Elderly Couple and Their Two Grandchildren Have Gone Missing in the Waters of the Struma River

On Friday afternoon, the family went on a picnic. One of the children entered the swollen river to swim and began to drown. The others tried to rescue the child, but all of them were swept under the water. The location is a popular spot for picnics, walks and swimming in the river. Although swimming has been strictly prohibited there since June, the ban is regularly ignored. Warning signs also tend to disappear quickly.

• One Child Found Alive After River Struma Tragedy Near Pastuh Village in Kyustendil Region

The unofficial but popular riverside beach regularly attracts visitors from across the region, according to the acting mayor of Pastuh. On the day of the tragedy, however, the river was swollen and there were no other visitors.

Tsvetanka Manchova, Acting Mayor of Pastuh: "It had rained somewhere upstream near Pernik, and the river had risen. It must have carried silt and mud, and they apparently slipped and fell."

The search operation took place under extremely difficult conditions. Muddy water, dense vegetation and a powerful underwater current disoriented even experienced diver Malin, who volunteered to take part in the rescue effort.

Malin Popov, Volunteer Diver: "With my torch that evening, visibility was no more than a metre, maybe a metre twenty. Murky, dark."

In places, the river pool was more than five metres deep, while other hazards also lurked beneath the surface.

Malin Popov, Volunteer Diver: "There's a fallen tree right here that you can't see at all. It's about two and a half metres down. The whirlpool is right there. There's a 50-centimetre layer of sediment, then it drops away. That's where the main current flows before it turns back here. You simply have to be careful."

Local authorities are therefore urging people to exercise extreme caution.

Stoyan Stoyanov, Regional Fire Safety and Civil Protection Service – Kyustendil: "The river itself, and this particular location, pose many dangers – deep water, whirlpools, fast currents, sediment, submerged rocks, vegetation and fallen trees."

The order issued in June banning swimming in local bodies of water is regularly ignored by visitors, while warning signs quickly disappear. Young people staying at nearby guesthouses also frequently jump from the dangerous cliffs above the river.

Tsvetanka Manchova, Acting Mayor of Pastuh: "Even if there's a sign, nobody reads it... Some jump from halfway up, others from higher, and I've even seen some jump from the very top."

The tragedy on the Struma did not deter dozens of other visitors from seeking relief from the heat by the river over the weekend.