State of Emergency Declared in Tsarevo Municipality Amid Severe Flooding and Dangerous Weather

A state of emergency was declared on October 3 in Tsarevo Municipality, where the BG-ALERT early warning system was activated due to flooding and hazardous weather. Evacuations of residents have already taken place, while a crisis management task force convened in Burgas to coordinate the disaster response.

Torrential rainfall of 410 litres per square metre in the village of Izgrev and 225 l/m² in Tsarevo caused widespread flooding and devastation across the municipality. The heaviest damage occurred along the path of the water flowing from the village of Izgrev towards the town of Tsarevo.

Several roads and bridges have been closed:

• The road Izgrev – Malko Tarnovo is shut due to a collapsed bridge, with a detour in place.
• The road from Tsarevo via Arapya to Lozenets is closed.
• The bridge near the Vasiliko neighbourhood and the bridge to Nestinarka Beach are also closed.

“Early this morning we managed to evacuate everyone at risk. They were accommodated in the fire station and other facilities. One person was injured on the bridge – at the same spot where a tragedy occurred previously – but we managed to get him out in time,” said Kiril Kiryakov, head of the regional fire fighting service.

Traffic has been restricted to the villages of Sinemorets and Rezovo, though the road to Burgas remains open.

Residents described the impact of the floods:
“We were badly flooded; the entire ground floor is full of water. We can’t even get inside to see the damage. At 2 a.m. we woke up and went outside – the whole riverbed overflowed,” said Tinka Kraicheva.

There is significant damage to road infrastructure, and many homes and private properties have been flooded. All those in need have been evacuated, with municipal employees and Ministry of Interior teams on site. Authorities confirmed there is currently no risk of dam wall failures.

“At present there are no casualties or injured persons. Infrastructure has been destroyed, and several road sections are blocked to prevent accidents. In Tsarevo, evacuees are housed in the fire station. Our teams are on the ground, working to prevent any loss of life,” stated Marin Kirov, Mayor of Tsarevo Municipality.

Authorities warn the situation could deteriorate further with additional rainfall. Residents are urged not to travel and to avoid gathering near bridges or flooded areas.

Photos by BGNES