HARD WINTER CONDITIONS CAUSE POWER CUTS, TRAFFIC DISRUPTIONS IN NORTH-EAST BULGARIA

Villages in the North-Eastern Bulgarian distinct of Silistra have remained without electricity for third consecutive day although emergency team have worked non-stop to restore the supply. The main roads get cleaned from the snow and are temporarily opened for traffic but the strong winds and continuing snowfall cause snowdrifts and it becomes necessary to close the roads again.

According to the latest update of Bulgaria’s Road Infrastructure Agency on 8th of January, the traffic for motor vehicles in thr districts of Rousse, Razgrad and Silistra remains restricted due to deteriorated weather conditions. The road from Rousse to Razgrad is open for traffic and the heavy freight vehicles are required to use chains. The road between Rousse and Silistra is open for vehicles weighing up to 3,5 tonnes.

Military machines are helping the wotk of the emergency teams in Silsitra district to restore the electricity supply in the region.

More than 20 villages in Silistra district remain without power. Most complex is the situation in Glavnitsa municipality, where electricity supply was cut in half of the villages and most of them are still without water. Two all-terrain vehicles will first go to Tutrakan to help repair a broken power line and then to Sitovo, Dulovo and Alfatar.

The train service from Silistra to Sofia has been suspended for indefinite period of time because of snowdrifts on the railway tracks. Although the main and secondary roads get cleaned from the snow, 90% of the bus services in the region are not running and it is difficult to get to the villages by car.

The continuous freezing temperatures resulted in forming of ice flow on the Danube, which at Rousse and Silistra is nearly 50%.

photos by BTA