One Person Dies in Flooding at 'Elenite' Seaside Resort

One person has died in the flooding at the Elenite seaside holiday resort, Deputy Minister of Interior Toni Todorov announced at a government briefing on October 3.

(Elenite a seaside resort on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, located about 10 km north of Sunny Beach and 50 km north of Burgas, situated at the foot of the Balkan Mountains)

Since last night, the Ministry of Interior has been receiving alerts from regions hit by heavy rainfall, fallen trees and flash flooding. So far, 180 incidents have been reported, all of which are being attended by police and fire fighting teams, who are carrying out safety measures and evacuations.

Special attention has been given to the Elenite resort complex, where at 11:42 a.m. the BG-ALERT warning system was activated. Floodwaters entered the grounds of the complex, which comprises four buildings, prompting fire crews to launch a rescue operation. “Unfortunately, the person who was inside the complex drowned. Efforts are still under way to recover the body,” explained Deputy Minister Todorov.

The torrential rain produced a flood wave flowing from Elenite and inundating hotels and other buildings. Authorities received reports of submerged cars, flooded properties and people in distress. Emergency crews from Nessebar and Pomorie, divers, amphibious vehicles and teams from Varna were immediately dispatched.

At first, high-water vehicles struggled to reach the buildings, but once the water level dropped, they gained access to the hotels. Six women – three of them Polish tourists – have been evacuated. The body of a man was discovered in the basement of one of the buildings, but it has not yet been identified. Rescue teams continue to search the site.

Deputy Minister Todorov also stated that several vehicles had been swept into the sea by the floodwaters. There are no people in distress in Sveti Vlas, where a road had earlier been closed.

Environment Minister Manol Genov explained that there are no weather stations in the Elenite area, and the torrential rainfall triggered the overflow of a ravine. “The estimated rainfall is between 200 and 250 litres per square metre, based on nearby stations. I have already ordered the Black Sea Basin Directorate to investigate whether the investment projects carried out in the area of the so-called ‘dry ravine’ (a term that does not officially exist) were duly coordinated with the Directorate,” Genov said.

Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh assured that no tourists – Bulgarian or foreign – are at risk. He expressed gratitude for the swift and effective response of the Interior Ministry and the army: “Thanks to their intervention, three Polish tourists were rescued from a very dangerous situation. Their lives were saved entirely due to the timely action of our teams. At this point, we have no information about other tourists in distress.”

Borshosh has ordered a full review of construction permits issued for the resort complexes to determine whether any of the developments might have contributed to the disaster. “We still do not have such information, but once inspections by the regional governor and the Regional Directorate for National and Regional Inspection are complete, we will know whether this was solely a severe natural disaster or whether inadequate local governance played a role,” he said.

Energy Minister Stankov reported that a power substation near Burgas had been flooded, but thanks to coordination with the fire fighting service and regional authorities, it was temporarily drained without any power outages. Alternative supply lines were organised, and transformers were shut down preventively where water levels posed a risk. Restoration works will begin once drainage is complete.

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov confirmed that two rescue boats with navy crews had been dispatched: “We are prepared to mobilise additional flood response units if needed. The situation is under constant monitoring.”

"We have the remaining flood fighting modules ready to respond. We are monitoring the situation," Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said.

Regional Development Minister Ivan Ivanov added that conditions on the Hemus Motorway remain difficult.

“Until late last night, I issued instructions to the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) for adequate measures in light of the weather conditions. From what I observe, these instructions were not followed, and the organisation of the response is assessed as insufficient – if not outright poor. As a result, maximum sanctions will be imposed on the maintenance companies, including the state-owned ‘Motorways’ company. In the event of similarly inadequate actions during future snowfalls or traffic disruptions, disciplinary measures will also follow,” said Minister Ivanov.

photo: BTA