Yantra River Floods Historic Church in Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse Evacuates Villages Over Dam Risk

The Yantra River has overflowed its banks in Veliko Tarnovo, flooding the entrance to one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Church of the Holy 40 Martyrs, BGNES reported. Following days of steady rainfall, the river rose to a critical level of 4.5 meters, submerging low-lying areas and reaching into the courtyard of the medieval church, local media reported.

Until the water recedes and debris is cleared, the historic site will remain closed to visitors. Authorities have begun assessing the extent of the flooding, while residents of the Asenov neighborhood, which lies along the river, said they are not alarmed and do not believe their homes are at risk despite the rising water.

Meanwhile, in northern Bulgaria, authorities in Ruse have declared a partial evacuation order due to a potentially dangerous situation at the Lipnik dam near the village of Nikolovo. The municipality activated the BG-Alert system on Thursday, warning residents in Nikolovo, Sandrovo, and Marten of possible flooding. Mayor Pencho Milkov explained that a landslide had been detected on the dam wall after two days of heavy rainfall, prompting immediate preventive action.

“We are coordinating the controlled lowering of the dam level because if it drops too quickly, the situation downstream in Marten could worsen,” Milkov said. Emergency teams were dispatched to reinforce the dam and pump out water at critical points. Access to the road atop the dam has been restricted, and evacuation has already begun for vulnerable parts of the affected settlements.

Children have been removed from local kindergartens, and buses are transporting residents without alternative shelter to Ruse, where the Arena Ruse Hall has been converted into a temporary reception center. Social workers and psychologists are assisting evacuees, while municipal officials, including deputy mayors and the local Public Order director, are overseeing operations on the ground.

Hydroengineer Simislav Mihaylov, who manages Ruse’s municipal dams, confirmed that the reservoir currently holds about 1.1 million cubic meters of water. It is being gradually drained at a rate of 200 liters per second to prevent a rupture. “The risk is serious , the wall could collapse in a short time if pressure continues to build,” he warned.

In Western Bulgaria, the municipality of Tran will extend its state of emergency declared on October 3 after severe weather caused significant damage. Mayor Tsvetislava Tsvetkova said that although cleanup operations are ongoing, conditions remain difficult. Ten villages are still without electricity, while others have only partially restored power.

Teams continue to work to repair infrastructure and restore access to affected areas. A meeting of the Crisis Headquarters is expected later today to decide on the next measures as authorities work to stabilize the situation across the municipality.