Title: Blizzard-Stricken Family Rescued, Thousands Still Affected: Power Outages Persist in Bulgaria
A family from Gurково was rescued after being stranded in Konarskoto village in Trayvna for two days due to heavy snowfall, according to local authorities. The man and two women had travelled to their family home for the holidays but found themselves isolated without electricity or food.
"The family was evacuated and taken to Tryavna today using special high-clearance vehicles provided by the Regional Directorate of Fire Safety and Population Protection (PBFEP). The operation involved two firefighters from Gabrovo, PBFEP Tryavna Chief Stoyan Stoyanov, and Plamen Kralev, director of the municipal enterprise for greening. The family was immediately provided with food and water", the municipal team reported on Sunday.
The stranded family was rescued using special vehicles by the Ministry of Interior. These vehicles also assist the "Energy-Pro" company in repairing power line issues.
Day five after the heavy snowfall still sees many areas without power, with issues primarily concentrated in Lochev, Troyan, Pleven, and Tryavnoto regions.
In the Lochev municipality village of Radevne, around 40 homes remain without power, according to mayor Ignaf Ignat Iglnov. He stated that these were predominantly vulnerable households.
"We also have trees that have fallen and snapped power lines. We hope that the teams will come today and remove the obstacles, because the situation is becoming critical", he commented.
Lochev mayor Stratsimir Petkov expressed the growing frustration of locals in the affected regions.
"There is a lot of discontent and tension among the people. Some threaten to disobey. The worst part is that many of these villages did not have water in the summer, and now they don’t have water or electricity", he explained.
In the village of Apriltsi on Sunday morning, there was no power supply to all subscribers. Mayor Tihomir Kukenskyi criticized "Electrohold" and the Water and Energy Regulatory Commission (WERC) for the problems.
"Every time it snows heavily or we get wet snow, we’re in this situation", he concluded.
Power supply and mobile communication issues also persist in Turgovishte. Efforts are underway to resolve grid problems in Elena and surrounding areas. Previously, water supply to Zlataritsa was halted due to damage.
On Saturday, Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov announced that the caretaker government would allocate 2 million BGN to support households without power.
"Each of the three electricity distribution companies must pay the penalties provided for in the general terms of the contracts for access to the respective electricity distribution network. In accordance with these, customers who are without power for more than 48 hours after the first 24 hours should receive a penalty of 30 BGN, and for each subsequent period of over 36 hours, an additional 20 BGN every 12 hours", the cabinet statement read.
In addition, the state will double this compensation, providing an additional 30 BGN to customers who are without power for more than 24 hours, and 20 BGN for every subsequent 12-hour period.
It is estimated that over 20,000 households will benefit from this support, totaling over 2 million BGN.
