Heavy snowfall has seriously disrupted transport in Bulgaria and neighboring Romania, blocking highways and leaving cars stranded in snow.

Officials in Bulgaria say the weather caused power outages in parts of that country Monday, and delayed most flights for about an hour at Sofia International Airport. Off-road vehicles are being used to free stranded drivers and transport patients requiring emergency treatment to the hospital.

Most of Bulgaria has been afflicted by heavy snowfalls and wind over the weekend. The situation is
worst in the Northeastern regions of Rousse and Razgrad. In the southeast of the country, adverse weather has cut off electricity supply to 149 villages.

Isperih in Razgrad Region has declared an emergency situation and other municipalities in the area are expected to do the same shortly, said the local administration Monday. Toutrakan in the Northeastern Silistra Region also has an emergency situation, said the Mayor's Office. It said all village roads are closed to
all vehicles and schools and kindergartens are closed for snow days.

Power distribution company EVN Bulgaria said Monday 42 power lines have been broken - hense the disruption of electricity supply in 149 villages in Southeastern Bulgaria. 54 emergency teams are working to restore normal power supply.

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology warned of the heightened risk of deep snowdrifts due to the gusting wind and the heavy snowfall which have already disturbed traffic across Bulgaria.

At 8:00 a.m. on Monday, the snow cover was 57 cm in Svishtov (on the Danube), 50 cm in Rousse (on the Danube), 47 cm in Veliko Turnovo (Northern Bulgaria), 35 cm in Haskovo (Southern Bulgaria) and 27 cm in Sofia.

The snow has not yet reached Bourgas Region in the East but the area was hit by torrential rain which reached 58 l/sq m in the past couple of days, according to the local Civil Protection unit. Residential buildings and roads are reported flooded in parts of Bourgas and several nearby villages.

The Karnobat - Bourgas section of the Trakia Motorway was closed due to the strong wind and snowdrifts. Traffic was expected to be restored within hours. The road linking Pernik and Sofia was also closed. Due to the difficult situation in the North of Bulgaria and the closed roads in Romania, all trucks bound for Romania are temporarily held up at designated parking facilities at Opan and Radnevo near Stara Zagora in South-Central Bulgaria.

It is still snowing over the mountains and the weather conditions there are not suitable for tourists. It is foggy and cloudy with temperatures ranging from minus 7C to minus 14C. The wind is moderate to strong. There are good skiing conditions, but the rescue services warn of high risk of avalanches and frostbite.

All departures from the Sofia Airport are delayed by one hour, the airport told BTA. Inbound planes land on schedule. A flight from Varna (on the Black Sea) has been cancelled.

The Varna Port is open for all types of vessels, but the port's traffic centre warned that might change as the wind is likely to get stronger.

The Russian-flagged "IRTYSH 1" broke anchor Monday morning and strong wind carried it from Bourgas to the shallows off the village of Kraymorie, said the Transport Ministry. Two tug-boats have been sent to help the vessel with a third put on stand-by. The crew are is no danger and there is no risk of environmental
pollution, said the Transport Ministry.

In Romania, snow and blizzards delayed national rail services for up to two hours. Authorities in snow-covered Bucharest, the Romanian capital, urged drivers not to use their cars in the city
Navigation down on Sulina channel and sandbar

Navigation of sea-going ships has been closed on the Sulina channel and sandbar because of bad weather and water conditions.

The decision was taken by the Lower Danube Administration of Giurgiu. Tulcea Shipmaster's Office reports that circulation will resume once whether has improved.

'The Sulina sandbar is unapproachable, and traffic of sea-going ships is down on the Sulina channel because of winds measuring 6-7 on Beaufort scale. Storms in the Black Sea now are measuring 5 on the same scale,' says spokesman for the Tulcea Shipmaster's Office Petrica Rade.

Traffic of passenger ships linking Tulcea to Danube Delta localities is said to be conducted under winter conditions, but no special incidents have been reported over the past days because of the weather conditions.