The union of hotel owners in the resort of Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach) would sue electricity distribution company EVN Bulgaira for lost revenue and material damages incurred after a five-hour electricity cut on July 5, the head of the management board of the union, Elena Ivanova, said.

At first, the claim would be collective. After the trial, each of the hotel and restaurant owners would sue EVN individually, investor.bg quoted Ivanova as saying.

The damages would be calculated on the base of protocols for spoiled food and short-circuited appliances and documents for missed benefits from restaurant services and the number of tourists who cancelled reservations during the period.

According to the union, the electricity cut would have a negative impact even on their business in 2009, as it took place in the time when bookings for the 2009 season were made.

EVN was invited to send representatives at the management board summit of the owners’ union on July 23 to discuss compensations for the black-out, Ivanova said, as quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA. However, no representative of EVN appeared at the meeting.

Later in the day, EVN offered to reschedule the meeting for August 5. The owners’ union accepted the invitation, but said that it would use the meeting solely inform EVN of the claim that they plan to file.