Avalanche threat in Bansko Article Published: 13:53 05/02/2007 Article Classification: Evergreen, Bansko
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A bomb threat in Bansko was to be targetted at creating an avalanche affecting the winter resort’s ski facilities.

Services will start functioning again on February 5 after they had to stop working because of the threat last week.

An ecological organisation sent a letter to the Environment and Water Affairs Ministry on February 1, threatening to use explosive devices to cause an avalanche unless construction in the Pirin mountain region did not cease. Only the track located closest to the area where the bombs were allegedly placed will remain closed, Focus news agency reported.

Bansko mayor Alexander Kravarov said that all facilities should start working again. Kravarov said that Russian media had already published negative reports about the incident.

Russian media advised tourists to refrain from visiting Bansko. Kravarov said that the resort now needed to re-gain the trust of tourists and to get its activities back to normal. Tourism sector representatives said that the number of tourists visiting Bansko remained almost unchanged after the incident.

A sign-up list against ‘eco-terrorism’ in ski centre Bansko will be launched, marketing director of the centre Ivan Obreikov said.  Obreikov said that the resort has not yet calculated the damages incurred in the past two days, when the ski facilities were closed.

Richard Brady of Olive Tree said "This kind of threat appears to be the starting point nowadays for anyone wanting to get their point of view over. I don't believe that it makes Bansko any more dangerous than London or Birmingham. It does seem ironic however that an ecological group would threaten to cause an avalanche by using explosives, hardly the most ecological method of resolving their concerns"