Heavy snowfalls in Bulgaria over the past 24 hours have resulted in power grid failures that have left 195 villages without electricity, a civil defence official said on Wednesday.

In some parts of the country, especially in northern and southern Bulgaria, the snow blanket reaches up to 40 centimetres, with snow banks of up to two metres, Andrey Ivanov told Darik Radio.

The worst road conditions are in the mountainous areas, with the Shipka pass in central Bulgaria still closed to traffic, he added.

Icy roads are causing traffic problems in the Varna and Russe regions, while a long line of trucks are blocking the road between Stara Zagora and Kazanlak in southern Bulgaria.

Traffic is also impeded on the Trakiya motorway near Karnobat in southeastern Bulgaria, 40 kilometres west of Burgas on the Black Sea, because the wind is covering the road with snow faster than it can be cleaned.

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