Some places in southern Bulgaria still inaccessible after heavy snowfall
Close to a week since the start of the heavy snowfalls in southern Bulgaria that left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity and blocked numerous roads, some places in the region are still inaccessible, public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television said on March 13 2015.
Work on restoring electricity supply in the most-affected areas was continuing.
The levels of dams and rivers in the Pazardzhik region were being monitored constantly because it was expected that they would rise after the snow melts. However, currently river levels had risen only slightly and there was no reason for concern, the report said.
In the Velingrad region, 11 settlements still had no power supply. On March 13, emergency teams were to work on restoring electricity to the village of Pashovi and the Kurtovo area.
Damage to the electricity grid in villages south of Youndola was serious and there was still no information about when these places would have electricity.
Late on the night of March 12, a clearing team had managed to reach the village of Boyzova, where snow drifts had reached more than three metres.
Several mountain villages in the Smolyan municipality were still trapped in the snow. Military vehicles and equipment were being used to clear roads.
Authorities in the Smolyan region continue clearing the roads from snowdrifts and fallen trees in the municipality of Banite. It was continuing to snow in the region on the morning of March 13, Bulgarian National Radio reported.
Teams had worked to restore power and open roads through the night, BNR said.
Smolyan regional governor Nedyalko Slavov said that electricity supply teams were expected to be able to make progress on March 13 in the Smilyan and Mogilitsa areas, where there were numerous large settlements. He added, however, that power cuts in about 30 to 40 villages in the area would continue, perhaps up to at least five days.
More than a week after the start of the heavy snowfall, there was still no access to more than 100 villages in the Kurdzhali region and more than 200 still had no electricity. The situation in the municipality of Ardino was the most serious, with a warning declared because of the expected melting of the snow.
