Bulgarian Ambulances Pass on E-79 Road to Greece

An aerial view of the section of the E-79 road from Sofia to Greece, which collapsed into the rising Struma River in the Kresna Gorge. Photo by BGNES

Ambulances and special purpose vehicles have begun moving on the main road connecting Bulgaria and Greece, E-79, th Bulgarian National Radio informed.

The torrential rains in Southwest Bulgaria 10 days ago led the Struma River to rise by five meters in the Kresna Gorge, some 120 km south of Sofia, causing a landslide that undermined the road, which collapsed into the river; a truck with its driver bringing gravel for the repairs has vanished into the raging water.

Over 20,000 cubic meters of rock and sand have been used so far for rehabilitation of the road. According to the company, responsible for the repair of the road, about 5,000 cubic meters more would be needed.

The asphalting of the fallen part of the road will take place on Tuesday and traffic is expected to be fully restored on Wednesday or Thursday.

For now, the Bulgarian police have redirected all traffic to Greece to the only close alternative route – though the Predela Pass and the Bansko winter resort and the town of Gotse Delchev to the Ilinden-Exochi crossing into Greece, which means going all the way around the entire Pirin Mountain.

However, traffic police have warned drivers to be very careful when driving on this route because of the bad weather, which made the road snowy and icy.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!