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4 districts of Bulgaria affected by rainfall and overflowing rivers

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Photo: BGNES

The municipalities of Garmen, Simitli, Petrich and Blagoevgrad have declared a state of emergency due to torrential rains. There are no injured or distressed people, but the damage is huge. The mayor of Garmen has requested urgent state aid because the incoming Mesta River has damaged a main water supply system. In some places the overflowing waters of the river have demolished dikes and flooded roads and bridges in Gotse Delchev. The overflowing Kanina River has destroyed bridges, damaged substations and flooded hotels and houses in the resort village of Ognyanovo.

In Petrich, 24 liters of rain per square meter fell in 24 hours. The Struma River overflowed its banks and flooded thousands of decares of agricultural land. The most critical was in the area of ​​the village of Krushitsa, where the high waters were dangerously close to the transit gas pipeline to Greece.

The situation in some municipalities in the districts of Smolyan, Kardzhali and Plovdiv remains dire. A partial state of emergency has been declared in the municipality of Ardino. There, torrential rains and hurricane-force winds have triggered numerous landslides. A bridge over the Arda River near the village of Kitnitsa was taken away. The roads to 6 settlements are interrupted. The elevated level of the river has caused significant damage to the infrastructure near the tourist attraction "Devil's Bridge". The road Smolyan - Devin is closed due to collapses. The bypass route is through Krichim.



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