Dam Failure at 2 Reservoirs Most Likely Cause of Floods in NW Bulgaria

Rupturing in the walls of two dams in the northwestern Vratsa district caused the deadly flooding in the town of Mizia in early August.

The findings of experts were reported by the municipal administration in the flood-stricken town, according to private TV station bTV.

Teams of investigators and experts are examining 27 dams in the northwestern Vratsa district as part of a probe aimed at determining the cause of the deadly floods in Mizia.

The massive floods in Mizia on the night of August 2 claimed two lives and destroyed a large number of houses.

The "Stubel" dam, located in the Borovan municipality, was reported to have a huge crack in its wall, failing to contain the vast amount of water which had accumulated as a result of the heavy rain.

The municipal administration could not specify who had been in charge of the "Stubel" dam, according to Sega daily.

The probe by experts and investigators revealed that there were a number of reservoirs with flaws in their walls.

Specialists said that they had established that the flood wave had caused all dams to overflow massively.

They also informed that the walls of some reservoirs had been damaged and the huge cracks showed that huge quantities of water had escaped through them.

Deputy Mayor of Mizia Nikolay Nekovski echoed experts' opinions, adding that the wall of the dam near the village of Borovan had ruptured.

Nekovski told the Focus news agency that he had seen one of the reservoirs near the village of Rogozen, which had an outdated and inoperative spillway, and had been overflowing massively on the day of the disaster.

He rejected accusations that the riverbed of the Skat river had been blocked with mud and willow branches.