Woman killed by falling tree branch during hurricane wind in Varna, residents advised not to go out unless necessary

In connection with the hurricane-force winds in the coastal city of Varna and the complicated situation at 22.30 on November 18, the municipality urged residents to stay in their homes and not to go out, except in cases of emergency due. Technical teams and specialised equipment from various agencies worked on the ground to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

Reports regarding the storm can be made on +35952/820112.

The Ministry of Interior said that a woman died after she was hit and crushed by a falling tree branch. The mayor of the city, Blagomir Kotsev, expressed condolences to her family and urged Varna residents to stay in their homes.

Dozens of trees were downed by the storm and property was damaged on the streets. There are power outages in places. The situation has further complicated in the evening. MeteoBalkans reported that the wind gusts exceeded 100 km/h.

Hurricane-force winds pose a risk to life and health and the municipality of Varna urged people to stay in their homes and not to switch on many electrical appliances at the same time.

Nearly 50 signals for fallen trees and disrupted power supply have been received in Varna Municipality.

Asparuhovo was the most affected area. Traffic was disrupted on the road to Galata and on the old road to Burgas. Fire Safety and Population Protection teams have been dispatched to the scene. The power supply was disrupted in the "Rakitnika" and "Borovets-North" areas. Teams of electricity supplier "Energo-pro" worked to repair the damages.

Earlier today the port operations were also closed as the sea wave height was expected to reach more than six metres in the coming hours.

Code orange alert for dangerous weather was announced in Varna on November 18, the municipality reminded. The warning was related to the strong, stormy to hurricane-force winds. The speed of gusts at night is expected to reach 20-25 meters per second,.

The resources of all municipal and state services - police, fire-fighting teams, civil protection, electricity supplier Energo-pro, plumbing and others - have been mobilized to deal with the consequences. The municipality thanked the citizens for their cooperation and understanding and asked the residents of Asparuhovo and Galata to show understanding. Teams of the electricty distribution company were working to restore supply.