The BG-Alert system in Sofia was activated on Friday morning. It turned out that this happened without the permission of the mayor of the capital, Vasil Terziev. This was commented on to Nova TV by the director of the Sofia Inspectorate Nikolay Nedelkov.
According to the official message, the warning is due to the formation of a snow cover on the approaches to the "Vitosha" Nature Park and the danger of falling trees and branches in this area. The roads in the area are temporarily closed to motor vehicles.
According to Nedelkov, there was no reason to send the warning, despite the rainfall in the last two days and snowfall in the Vitosha region.
„The information that was submitted - about a landslide and the formation of a snow cover, is inaccurate. The message was not officially approved by the mayor of the Sofia Municipality,” said Nedelkov.
The text of the message was probably written by a municipal employee, but the facts are being clarified. An internal investigation is underway.
The Municipality issued an official statement regarding access to the "Vitosha" Nature Park. Here is the full text:
„Regarding information disseminated earlier today, we would like to make urgent corrections and clarifications in order to ensure peace of mind and accurate information for all residents and guests of Sofia.
The current and accurate situation is as follows:
The roads to Aleko and Zlatnite Mostove are temporarily closed to ensure everyone's safety until the fallen trees are removed and the danger passes. The reason is strong wind and snowfall.
Teams on the ground: Teams of the Sofia Inspectorate and the Directorate „Emergency Assistance and Prevention” (APP) were immediately mobilized and are already working hard on the ground to remove fallen trees and branches.
Timeline: Our teams are making every effort to have the roads completely cleared, secured and reopened to visitors by the end of the day.
Immediate internal measures are being taken to tighten crisis communication protocols to ensure that only verified and accurate information is disseminated in the future.
Thank you for your understanding and patience. The mountain will soon be accessible and safe for all of us again.