Blizzard Paralyzes Bulgaria's Ports, Airports, and Mountain Roads

A powerful winter storm struck Bulgaria on Wednesday, bringing heavy snow and high winds that disrupted transportation across much of the country.

Both major Black Sea ports, Varna and Burgas, were shut to vessel traffic, while Sofia's main airport scrapped at least 18 flights and experienced widespread delays. The airport in Plovdiv, the country's second-largest, was closed entirely for a period.

Mountain passes through the Balkan range were impassable, and the two principal cross-country highways saw severe disruptions. Dozens of villages, at least 58 in total, lost electrical power during the storm.

Rescue services chief Andrey Ivanov described the situation as "complicated" while noting no formal state of emergency had been declared. Avalanche warnings were issued for ski resorts as forecasters predicted the heavy snowfall would persist through the rest of the week.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in January 2008, in its own words.