Gas supplies to Romania, Serbia and Hungary halted due to explosion on Bulgarian pipeline

Gas supplies through Bulgaria to Romania, Serbia and Hungary were stopped due to an accident on the night of November 1 at the Bulgartransgaz gas pipeline, reported gas transportation organization.

The explosion on the pipeline took place at about 03:00 in the area of ​​the village of Vetrino in the Varna region. After 15 minutes, gas supplies to Romania stopped automatically. Serbia and Hungary stopped receiving gas from 07:00.

At the same time, Bulgartransgaz notes that after 8 hours gas pumping to Romania was partially restored.

Emergency services continue to work at the site of the gas pipeline damage. As a result of the accident on the Bulgarian gas pipeline, no one was injured. The damaged section was built in 1986-1988.

After the emergency, Serbia imported gas from Hungary (5 million m³). It also intends to use gas from the Banatski Dvor storage facility. Due to the accident, the thermal power plant in Novi Sad stopped, which led to the interruption of the supply of heat and hot water, informs Serbian news agency Tanjug.

According to the prosecutor of Varna, Krasimir Konov, there are no signs so far that the accident was related to human activity. However, employees of the national security service and the counterterrorism department are working at the scene, among others, transfers RIA Novosti.

Head of the party “Alternative to the Bulgarian Revival” Rumen Petkov wrote on Facebook that, according to local residents, the diameter of the crater formed after the explosion is more than 50 meters. Eyewitnesses also said that at the time of the accident, helicopters allegedly flew nearby at low altitude.