Bulgaria is in a state of emergency following heavy snowfalls with hurricane-force winds: some 1.5 million people have been left without electricity on Saturday, with sub-zero temperatures. Many people were stranded in buses, trains and cars. Four regions – namely Shumen, Razgrad, Silistra and Varna – declared a state of emergency, and 280 schools will remain closed today.

“The situation has been very difficult since Saturday, and most villages and small towns are still without electricity”, said Mgr Strahil Kavalenov, Bishop of Nicopoli, who also got stranded in Varna due to blocked roads. “Yesterday, we had to cancel the Masses at Veliko Tarnovo, Dragomirovo and Bardarski Geran, as the priests got stuck on snow-blocked roads”, the prelate said. “Many mountain passes are also blocked”. “Many people struggle to leave their homes because the snow is more than 70 centimetres deep”. The bishop is particularly concerned for elderly parishioners who live in sparsely populated villages. Even the streets of Sofia are blocked by branches and trees that have fallen due to the weight of the snow. In the courtyard of St Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, a huge pine tree fell, blocking a parked car. Today, a yellow low-temperature warning has been issued for Sofia and western Bulgaria, with temperatures expected to reach minus 7 degrees in the cities, and minus 15 in mountain areas.