Struma River divers continue search for missing child in Bulgaria

On 3 July a family picnic near the village of Pastukh in the Kjustendil region, Bulgaria, turned tragic when strong currents in the Struma River pulled a grandmother, grandfather and their 11‑year‑old granddaughter under after they entered the water to rescue younger children. The 6‑year‑old brother survived, reached the main road, stopped a car and called emergency services (112).

Rescue teams—including fire, police, the Mountain Rescue Service, local volunteers and a specialist diver unit from Sofia—arrived within an hour. The adults’ bodies were recovered quickly, and later that night a volunteer sonar boat located the girl’s body downstream. Search for the second missing child, an 8‑year‑old boy, was resumed on Saturday at 08:00 with divers conducting an underwater survey of a deep vortex (7‑9 m deep). Officials warned that the river’s seemingly calm surface hides dangerous under‑currents and called for warning signs at unguarded water pools.