2010-01-24 16:03:13 - Snow Storm - Bulgaria EDIS CODE: SS-20100124-24682-BGR
Date & Time: 2010-01-24 16:03:13 [UTC]
Area: Bulgaria, , Statewide, Damage level: Heavy (Level 3)
Not confirmed information! Description: Travel in several parts of Bulgaria was an unpredictable if not impossible business on the weekend of January 23 and 24 2010 with on-again, off-again blockades at the border with Greece and with heavy snowfalls disrupting motoring in the northern and eastern parts of the country. On the morning of January 24, Bulgaria’s border police said that all checkpoints on the Bulgarian-Greek border were open and traffic was flowing without queues. However, it was expected that blockades by protesting Greek farmers, who had not quit the scene, would resume, either later on January 24 or on January 25. The intervention by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, who went by helicopter to the border with Greece on January 22 to urge the protesting farmers to lift the blockade, appeared to have produced only a temporary solution as there were further closures on January 23. Bulgarian news agency BTA said that on January 23, Greek farmers again blocked the Promachonas border checkpoint and stopped traffic of vehicles through the Koulata checkpoint. Koulata-Promachonas was opened at 2:55 pm, but only for cars, buses and vans, the Interior Ministry said, quoting Border Police. The ban on trucks remained. Borissov said on January 23 that he had told the Greek farmers that Bulgaria’s authorities did not want to intervene on the basis of saying whether their protest – a demand to get unpaid agricultural subsidies – were justified or not, but Bulgaria did not deserve what was happening to it. The blockade, which started on January 15, has caused traffic disruptions and huge financial losses to companies in Bulgaria. Borissov said that he was approaching the European Court of Justice to apply for compensation for Bulgaria.
He rejected comments in the Greek media that his January 22 intervention had been "undiplomatic". Elsewhere, winter weather hit eastern and northern Bulgaria hard. The plummeting temperatures in the north of the country was reported to have claimed its first victim, with the body of a man who had died of exposure being found in the centre of Shoumen on the morning of January 24.
Bulgarian news agency Focus said on January 24 that states of emergency had been declared in five municipalities in Varna district because of the severe winter conditions: Aksakovo, Valchi Dol, Suvorovo, Byala and Vetrino. The Civil Protection Service had received 62 calls for assistance overnight, a spokesperson said on January 24. Most were to assist cars stuck on frozen roads or in snowdrifts. The service said that some of those who attempted to travel had been reckless, including youths who set out on a journey at 3am and others who had been driving with summer tyres. On the morning of January 24, a number of roads in north-eastern Bulgaria were closed, the Interior Ministry said. These included the Balchik-Kavarna-Durankulak, Balchik-Albena, Dobrich-Vladimirovo, Karapelit-Tervel, Dobrich-Krushari, Dobrich-Albena; Dobrich-General Toshevo and all of the second and third class roads in the municipality of Dobrich. The Staro Oryahovo-Obzor-Sunny Beach road in Eastern Bulgaria was closed, Focus said, and the Bourgas-Karnobat section of Trakiya Highway remained closed. The Tsarevo-Rezovo road was open, but it was difficult to drive on and might be closed again due to the strong wind and snowdrifts. Bourgas Airport and the Black Sea city’s port were operating normally on January 24. Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said that Varna port was operating. In the north-east, serious problems were reported from Silistra, Shoumen and Dobrich. Police had advised motorists not to attempt to use the Silistra-Shoumen road, while in Shoumen, there were few passengers for bus services and fewer people were attempting to drive, after the seriousness of the situation had become clear, BNT said. Schools and kindergartens in Silistra are to be closed on January 25 and 26. The weather forecast for Bulgaria's north-east is that in places, temperatures will drop as low as minus 21 degrees Celsius.
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