The National Railway Infrastructure Company confirmed the scale of the incident that occurred in the early morning hours near the village of Pyasachevo. According to official data, a freight train with 34 diesel fuel tankers suffered a severe accident with complete derailment.
Emil Simeonov, a safety inspector, told local media that the destruction is more extensive than initially expected. The damages include the destruction of about 100 meters of railway track and serious damage to the contact network.
Haskovo Regional Governor Stefka Zdravkova confirmed that recovery activities continued throughout the night. The Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov assured that all tankers have already been removed from the incident site.
On Friday, the Mayor of Simeonovgrad Milena Rangelova announced a partial state of emergency for the village, which will subsequently be lifted. For a short period, electricity was cut off, which further complicated the emergency situation.
The Director of the Regional Fire Safety and Population Protection Directorate in Haskovo, Mitko Chakalov, reported that two teams continue to guard the scene. There is still spilled fuel around the railway line, which poses potential risks of additional incidents.
Simeonov assured that the railway line was in good condition before the incident. The eight derailed tankers will be transported by mobile cranes. The Simeonovgrad - Nova Zagora line serves only freight transport with six to seven trains daily.
Recovery work is expected to be completed by Tuesday, when train movement on the line is also expected to resume.