Missing woman found, two drunk-driving arrests, and power cuts in Shumen

Police in Shumen have located 64-year-old Anka Ilieva from village Izbul, who was reported missing on 24 May. She was spotted this morning by a resident of village Velino, who alerted the village mayor. The mayor contacted the local beat officer, and the woman was handed over to her family.

Police thanked everyone who helped with the search.

A 28-year-old man from village Stanyantsi was stopped in Veliki Preslav on 24 May at 22:40 driving an Opel Astra. A breathalyser test returned 1.86 promille alcohol. He gave a blood sample and was held for up to 24 hours. Fast-track proceedings have begun.

On 22 May, a 41-year-old Shumen man was stopped on bul. Veliki Preslav driving a Chevrolet Aveo. He was found to be driving without a valid licence following disqualification and an administrative ban. Fast-track proceedings have been opened.

Emergency repairs will cut electricity to ul. Tsar Samuil in Shumen until 15:30 on 26 May. The villages of Dragoevo and Mokresh will be without power until 17:00, along with parts of Mogila, Pristoe, and Mengishevo.

Village Lovets will have no power until 16:00 due to construction work. Short interruptions of around 30 minutes are possible between 09:00 and 16:00 on ul. Lale in Shumen, in Novi Pazar, and in village Tsarkevitsa.

Today will be mostly sunny with some cloud build-up in the afternoon. Isolated mountain areas may see brief rain and thunder. Light to moderate northwest winds. Maximum temperatures between 27°C and 32°C, around 27°C in Shumen. On the Black Sea coast, highs of 22–26°C, water temperature 17–19°C, wave height 2–3 Beaufort.

Shumen's administration will temporarily relocate taxis into the DKC1 car park from 1 June until boulevard Simeon Veliki's rehabilitation finishes. The taxi stand will then move there permanently. Parking is banned from the junction of ul. Tsar Osvoboditel with ul. Panayot Volov.

The council's territorial development committee also discussed cutting the free parking hour to 10 minutes. Deputy mayor Nikolay Kolev said ten minutes is enough to park, do your business, and leave. One councillor argued the barrier itself has caused traffic problems and should be removed. Another proposed preferential free entry for families with small children. The committee compromised on 30 minutes free parking.

Septemvri (Dragoevo) are champions of Central OFG Shumen for the 2025/26 season. They secured the title in the previous round with a win over Volov-Shumen 2007's second team. On Saturday, they beat Enev (Dibich) 2:1 in Veliki Preslav. The hosts led in the first half, Dibich equalised, then Dragoevo scored a second-half winner.

Smyadovo beat Volov-Shumen 2007 II 2:1 after trailing at half-time. Lokomotiv (Kaspichan) won 6:1 away at Geroy (Zaychino Oreshe), three goals in each half. Tsarev Brod won their local derby with Mladost (Makak) 2:0, both goals from Petar Gochev. Malnia (Kliment) beat Republikanets (Enevo) 5:1. Pravents did not turn up for their match with Chavdar 1926 (Divdyadovo).

The Interior Ministry has published draft regulations tightening fire extinguisher requirements in vehicles. From 1 January 2027, light cars and vans up to 3.5 tonnes must carry at least one 1 kg powder extinguisher. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and buses up to 16 seats need a 2 kg extinguisher, as do trailers up to 10 tonnes.

Buses with more than 16 seats, lorries over 5 tonnes, lorries up to 12 tonnes, and heavy-category trailers must have a 6 kg extinguisher. All vehicles must still carry a warning triangle, first-aid kit, reflective vest, spare tyre, and fire extinguisher. If the first-aid kit is missing or incomplete, the fine is €30.

Shumen and Byala held a joint ceremony marking 150 years since the death of Panayot Volov, hero of the April Uprising. Twelve runners from the 'Early Risers' running club in Shumen completed a 120 km relay to Volov's monument in Byala. They were met by pupils from Panayot Volov secondary school, who joined the relay to the History Museum.

The mayors of Shumen and Byala laid wreaths and flowers at the monument. Pupils performed songs and poems, and the ceremony ended with a walk across the bridge of Kolyo Ficheto.

Police in Shumen issued 31 on-the-spot fines to drivers during this year's graduation balls. One driver transporting students was caught driving a motorcycle without the required category A licence. Another was driving with an exhausted points limit.

All breath and drug tests came back negative. Police say drivers have become more disciplined and responsible in recent years, and no serious incidents were recorded during the balls.

Around 120 people queued at Shumen's Bulgarian Identity Documents office today to renew or collect identity documents. There was no tension. Police had organised well, and by 12:30, 70 people had received a number for service. 'It's fast and you don't wait long,' one woman said. 'But some people still panic and turn up at 05:00.'

Nearly 12,000 documents are due for renewal over the summer. Between July and September, 2,925 identity cards, 6,932 passports, and 1,834 driving licences expire. To ease congestion, the office is open 08:00–18:30 without a break from 1 June to 30 September. Documents can be renewed before they expire. Residents of Shumen region can apply at single desks in the district offices in Veliki Preslav, Novi Pazar, and Kaolinovo. Those with a valid electronic signature can use the online service.