Suicide Attempt Follows Deadly Blast in Bulgaria

Pictured here is the father of one of the killed boys Dzhingiz Rushen, who died on the scene. Photo by BGNES

The main suspect for the deadly blast at an orphanage in the southern town of Krumovgrad has attempted to commit suicide a day after the tragedy, which killed three children, according to reports.

The 54-year-old man, whose name was not disclosed, is currently hospitalized with a stab wound in his stomach.

No official charges have been raised yet against the man, who operates the local heating utility at the orphanage. He is said to have been a close friend of the children and is believed to have given them a detonator from a military mine by mistake.

The device went off around 2 pm. One of the boys died on the scene while the other has been taken to the Krumovgrad hospital where he later died. A third boy was listed in critical condition in the hospital in the regional center – the city of Kardzhali, and died during surgery.

The victims Dzhingiz Rushen (13), and Sunay Keazim (16) are from the nearby villages of Pelin and Zimornitsa, while the third killed boy Dzhingiz Dzhemal (15) was born in the village of Sokolinovo, close to the southern border town of Momchilgrad.

The orphanage did not have security guards, which according to the mayor is a wide-spread practice, aiming to provide more serene environment for the children in the institution.

Forensic experts and members of the anti-terrorist task force are still scouring the site of the blast while psychologists are helping the other children cope with the tragedy.

Krumovgrad is a small, dilapidated and impoverished town, located close to the border with Greece. The border region is known to have been once strewn with mines and many of them are still buried in the ground.

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