Servicemen from the Land Forces are joining the search for 13-year-old Nikolay from the Stara Zagora village of Konare, who has been missing for several days, the Ministry of Defense announced. As of 9:00 this morning, 106 servicemen with 6 units of all-terrain equipment, four drones and thermal cameras from the 2nd Tundzha Mechanized Brigade are operating in the field. They will carry out search operations in the area of the town of Gurkovo. The commander of the 2nd Tundzha Mechanized Brigade, Brigadier General Miroslav Kostadinov, will also be in the search area. On site, the actions of the military personnel are led by Lieutenant Colonel Atanas Bakalov.
The participation of the Bulgarian Army in the search operation is at the request of the Minister of Interior Atanas Ilkov and after permission from the Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov.
The Minister of Interior Atanas Ilkov also arrived at the site, reports Nova TV. The boy's dog was found alive a few days ago. The animal appeared near a restaurant in the village and was noticed by Mayor Stancho Stefanov.
The child, who has Down Syndrome, disappeared on December 17, and the search has been going on for eight days. Nearly 100 people are participating in it - police officers, forest officials, volunteers from all over the country. A helicopter is also being used for the operation.
„The appearance of the dog has revived the hope in our country that this large-scale operation may have a happy ending. That same evening, a large group of people set off with the animal, hoping that it would lead us to the child. Our hope is alive. The case is mysterious. If there is one good thing we can say, it is that more and more people continue to come despite the severe weather conditions,” commented on the air of “Zdravei, Bulgaria” the mayor of Gurkovo Municipality Kancho Papazov.