Madan

As of today the flu epidemic and anti-epidemic measures in the Blagoevgrad region are lifted, the Ministry of Health said.

From today the flu epidemic with the anti-epidemic measures is cancelled in the regions of Gabrovo and Razgrad, the Ministry of Health said.

The flu epidemic and anti-epidemic measures are cancelled in 10 other regions of the country as of today. These are: Sofia city, Kyustendil, Shumen, Vidin, Pleven, Dobrich, Sliven, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo and Smolyan, except the municipality of Madan where the measures remain in place for the medical and childcare facilities.

A 34-year-old mine worker in the town of Madan died in a rock fall at about 10.00 pm yesterday, the Ministry of Interior's regional department in Smolyan said, reports Focus News Agency. 

The worker was second shift in the Krushev Dol mine sector. The case is investigated. The regional labour inspectorate is inspecting the mine.

Power supply to more than 800 locations in southern Bulgaria has been disrupted as of Sunday evening due to heavy snowfall now in its third day.

Some villages and towns in the regions of Smolyan and Kardzhali as well as the southernmost areas of Pazardzhik region have remained without water supply, too, as water pumps were idled by the lack of electricity.

Hundreds of miners protested on Friday in the town of Madan, in southern Bulgaria, against proposals to increase pension age, BNR radio reported.

The protest, organized by the KNSB and Podkrepa trade unions, targeted proposals by Labour and Social Policy Ministry experts to increase retirement age for metal ore and coal miners by 8-1/2 years as part of a much-delayed pension reform.

The Varba-Batantsi mine near the southern Bulgarian town of Madan will be officially reopened Saturday after a 15-year break.

Sergey Atanasov, CEO of Gorubso-Madan, said that the mine had restarted its production activity in July, registering an output of around 2500 tonnes, adding that the August report would be 1000 above that rate.

A 3.6 Richter scale earthquake was felt near the south Bulgarian town of Madan one minute before midnight on Tuesday, said the Geophysics Institute. 

According to it, the epicenter was 1 km northwest of Madan, 188 km south east of Sofia, at a depth of 17 km. 

There is no information of victims or material damages.