The Roma, formerly living in the notorious apartment building 20 in the Bulgarian city of Yambol, have been left on the streets after the municipality refused to accommodate them in other municipal buildings.

The Roma were evicted last week because they had illegally occupied apartment building 20. However, as they were asked to move out, they have began to break the walls with hammers, in order to remove the metal structures from inside the concrete, and to sell them for scrap.

The local authorities have declared an emergency situation in the area after a 10-year-old girl was brought to the Yambol hospital in critical condition. The girl was injured when some Roma, angered by the order, began tearing down the panel construction.

Slavov has explained that he would not allow "the biggest violators" to use special preferences at the expense of families who have been waiting a long time for accommodation in municipal buildings.

He has also stated that the Roma who have remained at the meadow near the apartment building 20 have been deliberately enticed to think that the municipality is obliged to compensate them.

According to Slavov, they have been lied to by someone who has an interest to maintain the tension.

He gave an example of about ten Roma families, who gave up in the last minute the opportunity to receive assistance by the municipality for their transportation to a certain destination, after they had previously required it.

"The distribution of municipal housing will happen as before, following the law, and after categorizing and classifying of the needy families," Slavov said.

The mayor also reminded that the municipality of Yambol has respected the right of free access of all the residents of the apartment building 20.

If the choice by the minorities is to live at the meadow, then they will be violate the Child Protection Act because they will not be able to provide normal living conditions for their children, Slavov said.

"The children who have not been provided with normal living conditions will have to be sent to children homes," the mayor of Yambol, Georgi Slavov, said Monday.

After the eviction of the residents of the dangerous apartment building 20, about 100 people built huts at the nearby meadow with materials at hand.

The demolition of the notorious building began on September 18, after the residents were evicted and the area was protected with a temporary metal fence.

Many Bulgarian Roma make a living by collecting and selling scrap. Most of the thefts of power lines and cables across the country have been attributed by police sources and locals to gangs of unemployed Roma.

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