The 55-year-old man who disappeared in the first hours after the flood in Central Northern Bulgaria remains missing.
Meanwhile, three ministers went on foot to the victims in Sevlievo to promise three types of aid for nearly 4,000 euros, water in the taps and compensation for the affected farmers.
This evening, although weak, there is pressure in the taps in Sevlievo and so water flowed. The local water supply company told bTV that the final welding of the water pipe, which was urgently repaired by the company's teams, remains and water will flow again in the city within hours. It will take two hours to fill the entire city system.
It is still unclear when the Interdepartmental Commission for Disasters and Accidents will be convened. The ministers indicated that this will happen after all ministries prepare analyses of the situation in order to know how to help.
Amide Sinanska's house is one of the most severely damaged.
“My husband always gets up early and at 7 o'clock he comes to me and says: “Pack your bags, we have to run“. While we were getting ready, we were with a small child and my father, who was in bed, the water rose another meter within half an hour. Thanks to the firefighters, they managed to get my father out on a stretcher and in a boat. At that moment, all I could think about was where my husband and child were and whether my father was in a safe place. I stayed on the terrace and watched, I just couldn't go out anymore“, says Amide Sinanska.
Hours later the water recedes, and the cleanup begins.
“Yesterday, we managed to shovel some mud all day with our own strength. With snow shovels, with shovels, whatever we found, with buckets we got the water out“, says Amide Sinanska.
The damage has already been described in over 85 houses. The Minister of Social Affairs announced how the state will support a household.
“A one-time grant of 1,171 euros, additional assistance through the Social Assistance Agency in the amount of 1,500 euros and up to 1,300 euros in assistance for replacing electrical appliances, yes, the equipment that was destroyed through the “Social Protection“ Fund, points out Natalia Efremova, Minister of Labor and Social Policy.
Work also continues on the central water supply system, which supplies the city and six villages. The pipe for the new water supply to Sevlievo is from “Bulgartransgaz“ and is 87 meters long.
„We hope that the heroes who work in these difficult conditions will have water within the day or early tomorrow“, points out Ivan Shishkov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works.
Preliminary data show about 3,000 acres of destroyed agricultural plantations.
„We have a 10-day period from the application submission period. The municipal services will inspect the terrains, submit them and refer them to us for payment“, points out Plamen Abrovski, Minister of Agriculture and Food.
According to the victims, the full „Alexander Stamboliyski“ dam and the uncleaned bed of the Rositsa River are the main culprits for the flood.
„The systematic cleaning of the beds outside the urbanized territory... Whose responsibility is this? According to the Water Act, the responsibility for those outside the urbanized territory lies with the regional government. Numerous commissions have been formed, inspections have been carried out for 15 years, in the end, no specific actions have been taken“, commented Dimitar Nozharov from „Population Protection“ in the municipality of Sevlievo.“
„It will be cleaned, the main reason is the lack of funds“, says Kristina Sidorova, regional governor of Gabrovo region.“
The government promised to seek responsibility from the competent institutions.”