Bulgarians Blocked in Romania because of Redirected Flight

A large group of Bulgarians has been blocked at the airport in the Romanian city of Timisoara since the night on 26^th of February. They were on a Ryanair flight from London, which was supposed to land at 20:15 in the South Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. Because of the bad weather, the flight was redirected to Sofia Airport first, but later landed in Romania.

A representative of the Bulgarian consulate in Romania arrived at Timisoara airport, but at that moment the Bulgarian state cannot provide additional assistance to our compatriots.

They say they are at the airport in Timisoara and have not been accomodatred in a hotel despite the airline promised. The Bulgarian passengers have no information from the airline about possibilities to leave. It became clear that last night part of the group went to Bulgaria by bus and already passed the border.

There is a pregnant woman, young children and babies among the blocked group.There are elderly people on medication, one of the passengers, Velichka Bozherikova, said. She explained that the buses which were sent from the consulate were in a poor condition.

We are afraid to leave with the buses they sent from the Bucharest consulate. Even the interior ministry in Bulgaria told us not to set off on the buses, but to stay warm at the airport, she added.

Those who decided to travel on the buses have already arrived on the territory of Bulgaria, said Kalin Mitchev, the Bulgarian consul in Bucharest. For the rest, the airline's decision is expected, he added. Talks are being held with the airline in order to find a solution to the situation.