Rescuers Save Man Hit by Avalanche in Bulgaria's Pirin Mountain

A man hit by an avalanche in Bulgaria's Pirin Mountain on Wednesday has been retrieved alive from under the snow piles.

Vasil Cholakov, 37, a Bulgarian national living in Sofia, has suffered a chest trauma and has been sent to a medical centre in the town of Bansko, according to the head of the Bulgarian Red Cross Hristo Grigorov, who was on the site.

Cholakov's life is not in danger. He was wearing a helmet which helped save his life, Grigorov said.

On Sunday, three snowboarders were killed by an avalanche when practicing outside marked ski runs in the Pirin Mountain despite warnings of extremely high risk.

Heavy snowfall in Bulgaria's southern regions over the past five days and above-zero air temperature during daytime have sharply increased the likelyhood of avalanches.