Explosions Rocked an Ammunition Factory in Bulgaria: What We Know
10 August 15:33
In Bulgaria, at the EMKO ammunition factory, explosions were heard in the warehouse after a truck caught fire; approximately 300 employees are being evacuated from the facility. There are no reports of casualties. The NOVA TV channel reported this to the local news agency , according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to Dencho Minev, mayor of Tryavna, a truck caught fire, after which explosions began in some of the warehouses. According to Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, the cause is most likely internal.
“The explosion occurred in one of the workshops. Every effort is being made to contain the fire so that it does not spread to other buildings,” said Demerdzhiev.
He confirmed that no one was injured as a result of the incident. According to the mayor, 300 employees are being evacuated from the plant.
“I am informing all residents of the municipality of Tryavna that, as a result of a truck fire, explosions occurred in part of the warehouses at the ammunition production plant in the village of Belitsa. The national hazard alert system, BG-ALERT, will be activated. Due to the gas leak and air pollution, we urge people to close the windows in their homes, wear protective masks, and stay indoors. Teams from the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection and Water Resources in Veliko Tarnovo are also heading to the scene to measure air quality,” wrote Dencho Minev, mayor of Tryavna, on Facebook.
The director of the Regional Internal Affairs Directorate, the fire chief, and additional law enforcement units are also heading to the scene to coordinate safety measures in the area.
Velyko-Tarnovo Mayor Daniel Panov told NOVA that he had discussed the situation with Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov.
“At this time, there is no danger to the settlements in the area around the village of Voneshta-Voda in Veliki Tarnov. It is believed that the state has taken the necessary measures and has organized the response effectively,” Panov explained.
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Drone Flew Into Bulgaria
As a reminder, earlier on Saturday, August 8, a drone exploded in Bulgaria near the border with Romania. This was reported by Euronews. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that the drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania, after which it exploded 1,000 meters from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline’s compressor station, near the former “Kardam” border crossing between the two countries.
The head of government noted that neither Bulgarian nor Romanian authorities were able to detect the drone as it flew through their airspace.
According to him, surveillance measures in the region will now be stepped up.
Later, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense analyzed the drone’s wreckage and concluded that the UAV could have been Ukrainian. In particular, the ministry noted that a preliminary analysis of the debris indicates that it is most likely a “Maya” decoy drone.
Drones of this type are widely used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense added.
“At this time, there is no reason to believe that the incident was intentional,” the ministry emphasized at the time.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also commented on the drone explosion incident at the time. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi noted that Ukraine is in close contact with the Bulgarian side to clarify the circumstances.
“We can say with certainty that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria. We are currently investigating all the circumstances of what happened and all the technical facts,” he said.
At the same time, the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry assured that Ukraine is fully open to cooperation with Bulgaria to clarify the details.
It later emerged that the Ukrainian ambassador had been summoned to the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the explosion of a drone, likely Ukrainian, near a compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline on Bulgarian territory. The meeting was scheduled to take place today, August 10.
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