Two men died Friday in the city of Veliko Turnovo, after they were buried by two landslides at the illegal construction site where they worked. The attempts to rescue them proved unsuccessful. The two men are the 43-year old Ali Kelov, and the 20-year old Ibryam Hyuseinov from the village of Yablanovo, Kotel Municipality, located in eastern Bulgaria.

They are an uncle and a nephew and have been working in Veliko Turnovo since the summer of 2007, but just recently started work for their present employer. The workers were without labor contracts and their daily payments were handed to them in cash.

The rescue teams managed to save another worker from the landslides, the 21-year old Kazum Dzaferov Koybeshiev, who is also from the village of Yablanovo. He is out of danger in the Veliko Turnovo hospital.

The rescue attempts continued until 3 a.m., when they were terminated because of the possibility of another landslide, the lives of the rescuers were threatened as well. The bodies are still buried at the site.

The Regional Directorate for Construction Control and the Veliko Turnovo Municipal Administrations issued orders to terminate the work at the site in February over the lack of proper fortifications and construction supervision contract.

The Veliko Turnovo Mayor Rumen Rashev cancelled immediately all celebrations and events scheduled for the day of the city, March 22.