Sofia, Bulgaria – On Thursday, January 21, 2016 two men about 30 years old died in an avalanche on Vitosha Mountain near Sofia, Bulgaria. The two tourists were reported missing at 4AM. It is unclear if the were hiking or skiing. The SofiaGlobe.com writes that the tourists were en route “from the Aleko hut to the upper station of the Zaeka lift.”
Bulgarian Red Cross’s Mountain Rescue Service responded to the avalanche accident. There were 14 rescuers and 2 rescue dogs on scene. They recovered the first body at 9:47 AM and the second body after that.
This avalanche incident follows a warning of considerable avalanche danger about trekking or skiing on eastern and north eastern mountain slopes issued by Bulgaria’s Mountain Rescue Service on January 17, 2016. The mountains had received over 30 cm of snow with strong winds after 24 hours of snowfall. Reuters reports that an avalanche blocked the road between the towns of Sofia and Montana earlier in the week.
The Aleko Hut is located at 1810 meters on Vitosha Mountain (2292m). Vitosha Mountain overlooks the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.
We will try to update this post as more information becomes available.
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Read more about the avalanche on Vitosha Mountain near Sofia Bulgaria from these sources:
