Roads being cleared after huge landslide in Bulgaria’s Rhodope mountains
The road between Assenovgrad and Smolyan in Bulgaria’s Rhodope mountains is expected to be re-opened on March 17 after more than 4000 tons of rock that fell in a landslide are cleared away.
This was the largest of several landslides that obstructed roads in the Rhodopes this past weekend.
The Smolyan – Plovdiv road was still closed and motorists should use an alternative route, from Smolyan – to Pamporovo – Devin – Krichim – Plovdiv, local road authorities said.
The city of Kurdzhali and 43 other settlements in the region were left without water supply on March 15 after a landslide damaged a pipeline in an area difficult for repair teams to access. It was expected that water supply to the Kurdzhali region would be resumed by about noon on March 16.
Public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television said on the morning of March 16 that about 50 villages in the Smolyan region remained without electrricity for a 10th day, following the heavy snowfall that hit the region on March 6.
Smolyan mayor Nikolai Melemov said that it was expected that power supply would be restored in all villages in the municipality by the end of the day.
