Bulgarian Air Force Helicopter Lands Successfully after Hitting Three Power Lines

Stamboliyski. Just two hours after the incident with a Cougar helicopter in the town of Stamboliyski in the country's central-southern regions, backup power supply was provided in the affected areas, Mayor of Stamboliyski Georgi Maradzhiev told Focus Radio - Plovdiv. The emergency crews of the electricity distribution company were on the ground half an hour after the incident, the mayor said. "Two hours later, power supply was restored in the whole town, water supply as well. Today the crews continue to work. The downed power lines will be replaced, and it is expected that the normal power supply will be restored by the end of the day," Maradzhiev commented.
The mayor told Focus that yesterday between 06:25 pm and 06:30 pm there was a deafening noise and after that the power and water supplies in half of Polatovo district and in some other areas were cut off. A Cougar helicopter was making a training flight, when the pilots had to perform a sudden maneuver to avoid a bird strike, losing altitude and hitting three power lines. Thanks to their skills, the pilots managed to gain altitude and land the Cougar successfully, thus preventing a major disaster, the mayor commented.