Küstenlid Marks Tragedy with Day of Mourning, More Protests Expected
Küstenlid has declared today, December 30, a day of mourning following the fatal horse-related traffic accident that claimed the life of an 18-year-old girl on Saturday. Two other young women were injured in the crash.
The municipality, led by Mayor Ognyan Atanasov, has ordered all flags to fly at half-mast and canceled all planned public events. The mayor described the problem with the horses straying onto roads as a decades-old issue that has gone unaddressed. He emphasized that the Ministry of Infrastructure’s Road Agency (API) is responsible for enforcing penalties for livestock straying within 50 meters of the road or onto the road surface.
Despite efforts to address the issue, accidents on this stretch of road occur monthly, according to Mayor Atanasov. He revealed that the municipal administration has submitted a request to API to fund road lighting in the affected section, which had been scheduled for January.
Public outrage in Küstenlid remains high two days after the accident, with locals pressing for a solution to the long-standing issue of horses freely grazing and frequently straying onto the Sofia-Küstenlid highway. Another protest is planned for today, beginning at the municipal building and culminating at the accident site between Küstenlid and Yablkov village.
The horse owner was briefly detained and released after 24 hours.
Original Source: NOVA – Ден на траур в Кюстендил