Pernik

The coniferous forests in Bulgaria are dying because of a bark beetle invasion. Therefore, more and more forests are drying out in the mountains around Sofia, Pernik, Kyustendil and other parts of the country. Reports Novini. 

A fire broke out in the forest of Elenite resort, BTA reported. The signal is given around 8pm last night. Dozens of decares of tree vegetation was burned.
There are firefighters on the site, but the fight with the fire was difficult because of the strong wind in the area, Saint Vlas Mayor Ivan Nikolov said. So far there is no evidence of injured and evacuated tourists.

Over 400 people, including representatives of tourist companies and residents of town of Tran, a small town in Tran Municipality, Pernik Province, announced that they're against the investment intensions to develop a gold mine in the region.

Novinite is publishing the English-language version of an investigation into the impact of ill-regulated coal mining on the life in Pernik in southwestern Bulgaria. The text by Bulgarian journalist Dimitar Sabev originally appeared on the independent Bulgarian website Bodil.bg. 

Snowfall and snowdrifts on the roads, low temperatures and disruption in electricity supply in several northeastern Bulgarian regions are still being addressed, outgoing Regional Development Minister Lilyana Pavlova has said.

The large investment sites in the transport sector in Sofia are related to the construction of new transport infrastructure, as well as the main rehabilitation of some of the big boulevards, announced to BGNES Deputy Mayor for Transport Evgeni Krusev.

A festival in the Bulgarian town of Koprivshtisa has been included as intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO, the UN cultural body, the organization says.

Seven Bulgarian regions, located in the northwest and west of the country, have been placed under a Code Yellow warning, the National Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) has said.

The regions affected include Vidin, Vratsa, Montana, Sofia, Sofia-region, Pernik, and Kyustendil.

Heavy traffic and heightened police presence are expected across Bulgaria on Friday as people continue their trips on the first day from the Easter holiday - Good Friday.

Another 100 000 vehicles are expected to leave the Bulgarian capital on Friday.

Heavy traffic is expected across Bulgaria on Sunday as the long weekend, which began on Thursday with the celebration of the country's national holiday (Liberation Day), is coming to an end.

According to estimates, a total of 330 000 Bulgarians left their homes to spend the holiday period somewhere else.