Bulgarian Authorities React after Snow Blocks Country

Over the course of the weekend, a number of roads across the country experienced obstructions due to the unexpected snowfall. Photo by BGNES

A special council has been called at Bulgaria's Ministry of Interior for Sunday to tackle the situation, after heavy snow wreaked havoc on communications Saturday.

Dozens of villages and small towns were left without electricity, and many roads - including Hemus Highway - were blocked due to the snowfall.

People were left in the cold, in their homes, or waiting for hours for the roads to be unblocked.

Sunday's meeting will include Bulgaria's Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Minister of Regional Development Lilyana Pavlova, the director of the Road Infrastructure Agency Lazar Lazarov, as well as experts from the ministries of interior and of economy.

Late Saturday Lazarov commented that "all senior civil servants responsible for the events will bear their responsibility."

The worst traffic obstruction Saturday was on the Hemus Highway, a main artery linking northern to southern Bulgaria, where cars had wait for hours late into the evening.

The power utility CEZ, which services western Bulgaria, had reported 450,000 people with no electricity Saturday, but has reduced that number to 56,000 as of Sunday morning.

Sunday the condition of Bulgaria's roads remains complicated, with snow and ice on some, and drivers are advised to exercise caution.

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