Provinces of Bulgaria

Eight people have died because of the floods in Edirne, and 5 000 more have been unable to leave their quarters. Helicopters are the only vehicles able to access the affected areas. As a result, several Turkish citizens have threatened to sue Bulgaria over the damages. 

Five municipalities will remain in a state of emergency - Dalgopol, Avren, Topolovgrad, Bolyarovo and Burgas. The situation is currently under control in Devin, Strajitsa and the Dolni Chiflik vicinities.

The total damages for the road infrastructure after the floods in Bulgaria amount to BGN 22 M after only twenty four hours, said Minister of Regional Development Lilyana Pavlova on Tuesday in an interview for bTV.

A state of emergency was announced on Sunday, after floods and hurricane winds took over a number of cities in Bulgaria. The disaster wrecked havoc on Smolyan, Burgas, Topolovgrad and Dobrich. Varshets, Devin and Kardzhali were also affected.

The search and rescue operation for three boys who got lost in the Rila Mountain has been temporarily suspended due to the extremely difficult weather conditions.

A part of the rescue team got submerged by snow following an avalanche, according to Hristo Grigorov, President of the Bulgarian Red Cross.

The southern Bulgarian municipality of Smolyan is in a state of emergency over heavy rain and strong wind.

The Cherna River overflowed its banks in several places in the town of Smolyan.

Scores of basements and buildings have been flooded.

Bulgaria's Regional Minister Lilyana Pavlova announced in the town of Haskovo on Saturday that Maritsa Motorway is expected to be completed by the end of August.

Since the two lots of the motorway are funded under Operational Programme Transport, their completion until the end of the year is compulsory, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reports.

The number of commuters using the underground railway system in Sofia are expected to increase by 25,000 a day when the new Vitosha Station opens next year, city mayor Yordanka Fandakova said on Friday.

A male Turkish tourist has been taken to hospital in Razlog, in southwestern Bulgaria, after suffering severe injuries while skiing in the nearby resort of Bansko on Saturday.

BGNES news outlet gave the name of the tourist as Alper Boskur, 25.

He suffered broken ribs and had internal bleeding. A helicopter was used to take him from the ski run to Bansko.

Bulgaria hopes to renegotiate by end-March its contracts with US-based AES Corporation and ContourGlobal for the purchase of electricity from their power plants AES Maritsa East 1 and ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova has said.