Relatives of 3 Missing in Bulgaria's Ammo Blast to Sue State

Medical units from the local hospitals and Sofia were rushed to the site of the privately-owned ammo depot which exploded in Southeastern Bulgaria Tuesday. Photo by BGNES

The relatives of the three workers, who are still missing in the blast that shook an ammo depot in southeastern Bulgaria, declared intentions to sue the State over its slow search and rescue reaction.

On Tuesday, a series of blasts occurred at a private-owned ammo site near the Petolachkata road junction close to Sliven, injuring 9 people, two of them critically, all currently upgraded to stable. Three of the ammunition depot's employees went missing and are now presumed dead despite the ongoing search effort.

Their families have arrived at the scene of the incident, saying that they are yet to receive any information on developments in the search.

It was reported Thursday that body parts have been allegedly spotted in the area of the ammunition depot, but the pending DNA analysis is going to firmly establish if these are from humans or animals, the authorities say.

Meanwhile, relatives of those who were injured from the explosion told journalists that people close to the owner of Bereta Trading company, which manages the depot, have pressured them to keep silent before the media and offered them money in exchange.

Authorities are investigating all possible leads in the cause of the accident. Rescue and expert teams were able for the first time Friday to enter the blast zone after sappers cleaned the premises from unexploded munitions and building debris.

Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, has not yet commented on the incident while his Deputy, Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, whose institution is in charge of controlling such depots, has offered very scarce statements. Only Defense Minister, Anyu Angelov, showed up in the Parliament for a hearing on the incident.

Bereta Trading announced they will offer compensations in the amount of BGN 1 000 to the injured and BGN 500 to all other workers at the depot and will pay for repairs of damaged buildings nearby.

The road between the capital Sofia and the Black Sea city of Burgas remains closed for traffic in the area of Petolachkata. There are two detours – Saransko-Tamarino-Sredets and Yambol-Ekzarh Antimovo-Karnobat.

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