Bulgaria reels after three die in flooding, with devastating damage

Three people died in flooding in Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea resort town of Elenite on October 3, states of emergency were declared in the coastal municipalities of Nessebur and Tsarevo and a “partial state of emergency” was declared in Bourgas as unseasonal heavy weather struck Bulgaria, bringing early snowfall and heavy rain.

The snowfall and heavy rain in various parts of the country disrupted traffic on key mountain passes and other thoroughfares.

Local media reported that in Elenite, a man was found drowned in the basement of a hotel complex, a tractor driver died as a tidal wave hit, and a Border Police official, Stefan Ivanov, died after a vessel on which he was serving – to search for people in distress – was capsized by a sudden wave.

Dozens of cars were blocked on the road from the Sunny Beach resort complex to Elenite.

The damage to the infrastructure is also very serious.

Access to Sveti Vlas and Elenite was extremely difficult even for rescue team rough-terrain vehicles.

The Ministry of Interior headquarters announced at a briefing that in three districts – Bourgas, Montana and Pernik – disasters had been declared in various municipalities.

The Sofia Globe staff

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