Elenite: Illegal River Correction Led to Disaster

In Elenite, against the backdrop of ongoing cleanup efforts, troubling questions arise regarding the causes of the subsequent disaster. Vladimir Krumov, the Regional Governor of Burgas, in an interview with BNT, sheds light on the situation, highlighting serious violations and illegal actions that led to the tragic consequences.

According to Krumov, the correction of the river in Elenite is illegal. It has been narrowed, likely because of the foundations of the "Negresco" hotel. "The report is not yet officially ready from their side, but at first glance, in the upper part of this correction, which has been made and no documents or projects for it have been found, it is narrowed," he emphasizes. "In total, in length, the width is 6 meters, the height is 3 meters, in the upper part it is 2x2, i.e. it is most likely narrowed because of the foundations of the so-called "Negresco" hotel."

On the spot, amidst the palpable chaos, tension can be felt. Engineering teams from the state-owned enterprise "Dams and Cascades" are conducting an inspection of the river correction, which is located in the Elenite holiday village. The inspection of the built-up ravine has already been done, and the experts have found that the correction was made in violation of the law. "The inspection has been done, we are currently continuing the documentary verification, but at the moment we have no available documents and construction permits for this ravine, which means that this is illegal - this correction has not been approved by the state institutions and, as the regional minister said, it should be removed," the regional governor adds.

The questions being raised are serious. How is it possible to build on public state property? How was this allowed and why? How did a river correction become the cause of the disaster and how did the settlement end up in a water object? The answers to these questions will be crucial for identifying those responsible and for preventing similar tragedies in the future.

While cleanup efforts continue, the electricity and water supply have been restored. "To the point - the entrance to private properties," Krumov clarifies. "Or, all of this that we see in the holiday village is private property, the electricity supply is carried out internally through sub-metering electricity meters. The measurement there is done at high voltage of 20 kW, the state and the electricity transmission company have restored absolutely everything up to there, from here on, it is the private owner's entrance." The warning that the water should not be used for drinking purposes is still in effect. "Today we are waiting for another sample to come out and if it comes out within the norms, then we will announce it officially," says Krumov.

The state of emergency will continue for another 4 days, but the checkpoints will remain for an indefinite period to guarantee the security of property owners. "So that there are no looters, raids, and so on," Krumov emphasizes. A large part of those evacuated are still in hotel complexes, while others are seeking assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the issuance of new documents. "Another part of the people have sought assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have new documents issued for them, as they lost them in the disaster and have returned to their countries," the regional governor points out.