Extended search and field operations

The intensive search for 11-year-old Natalia Asenova continues, with the scale of the operation expanding into neighboring regions. The Director of the Varna Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, Senior Commissioner Tsvetan Pirovski, confirmed to the media that the work has not stopped for a moment, including over the weekend.

"We are continuing our work, we haven't stopped at all even during the weekend, that is the management's view," stated Senior Commissioner Pirovski.

Search technologies and methodology

  • Use of drones: Overnight, teams used drones with infrared cameras to check reports in the Avren and Provadiya areas.
  • Coordination with volunteers: Commissioner Pirovski explained that volunteers remain a key factor, but their work is coordinated with the police to avoid interference with the thermal cameras, which detect heat radiation.
  • Specifics of the operations: While volunteers help by securing the perimeter, the police conduct specialized searches in houses and abandoned buildings where the child might be hiding.

Why is BG-Alert not being activated again?

In response to a question regarding the re-triggering of the BG-Alert system, the Director of the Varna Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior indicated that the public is already sufficiently informed. According to him, all citizens in Varna and the surrounding areas are aware of the case, which makes a re-activation unnecessary at this stage.

The case in the Shumen region

Regarding the man accompanying the child, the commissioner clarified that he had arrived from the Shumen region before the crime was committed. Colleagues from the Shumen Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior are fully engaged with the case and are conducting identical search operations.