Situation in Smolyan region after the heavy rains is still complicated

In Smolyan region (Southern Bulgaria) the situation on December 14 remains complicated, the state of emergency in four municipalities has not been lifted. There was a landslide in the village of Mogilitsa yesterday due to heavy rains.

The situation in the entire Smolyan region remains complicated. In most places, the rains have already turned into snow, which has created additional problems for municipalities. In the high places the snow cover is more than 70 cm.

More than 30 settlements are without electricity due to fallen trees and broken power lines. Krum Kosev, a spokesman for EVN, assured that 40 emergency teams were working to restore electricity supply.

In the Municipality of Devin, 4 settlements still remain cut off. Cars provided by the Municipality supply food, medicine and water.

Road repairs continue in the whole Smolyan region. Traffic of heavy vehicles weighing more than 12 tonnes with trailers and semi-trailers is prohibited. The other cars are required to drive with tyre chains.

***

4 municipalities in Smolyan region are in a state of emergency. Access to the high mountain village of Trigrad is blocked. Only emergency service vehicles are allowed. Residents of Trigrad experienced a real nightmare on the night of December 12-13.

The situation in Trigrad is alarming, said Radost Karaivanova, a resident of thevillage. On BNT, she called on the authorities to take measures as soon as possible, to repair the road, which had collapsed, and to secure the Trigradska River valley quickly.

"Although the river level has dropped significantly, people are worried. First of all, because we don't know how long it will be. Thank God, the rain turned into snow, but I don't know if it will rain again. We don't have access to Trigrad, the road is still is closed, only emergency service vehicles such as police, ambulances and food deliveries are allowed," Karaivanova said.

The livelihood in the village is from tourism and people are worried about how they will work with the destroyed infrastructure, Karaivanova shared her concerns. She added that they urgently need serious construction work and equipment. She explained that fortifications have been carried out with all available materials at the moment, but if the river overflows again, these temporary solutions will not be enough.

Situation in Pirin and Rhodope mountains regions remains complicated after the torrential rains