Risk of secondary explosion in the workshop in "Arsenal" arms manufacturer, two women still missing

Two women, aged 53 and 43, are so far unaccounted for after the blast at the “Arsenal” arms manufacturer. Rescue operations and clearing of the debris have not yet begun as there is a risk of a secondary explosion, Todor Deyanov, appellate prosecutor from Plovdiv said on October 4.

A group from a specialised counter-terrorism unit is currently on their way to the plant. They will secure the perimeter and will lead the operation to clear the site and search for the two missing women, who may be trapped under the rubble.

The body of a 55-year-old man, one of the three workers at the workshop, was thrown out of the building by the blast. The workshop was totally destroyed, Deyanov said. A 43-year-old woman who was near the workshop was injured. She has a head injury and was transported to “St. Ivan Rilski" hospital in Sofia. and her condition is described as serious.

The explosion occurred around 11.06 today. The signal to the emergency number 112 was filed at 11.13 am. Immediate pre-trial proceedings were initiated and are being monitored by Stara Zagora District Prosecutor's Office. The supervisor of the workshop, who was on duty, was interviewed.

It is still unclear how the explosion occurred. Deyanov said it was due to a violation of technological rules related to work safety. The shift had started at 7.40 and an investigation is pending into which rules were broken.

"It is probably human error because this is a risky production and if all the technological requirements had been met, this would not have happened," District Attorney Dicho Atanasov said.

He added that the investigation would be conducted by the National Investigation Service. Action has been taken to notify the relatives. The people are from Kazanlak and the surrounding area. It is not clear at this stage what their work experience was.

The appellate prosecutor specified that the workshop made products related to sound and light effects, of the fireworks type.

There were broken windows on the neighbouring buildings from the blast. No grounds for suspending work are yet in sight in the military plant, the district attorney was adamant.

Two fire fighting teams immediately arrived at the scene. There was an ignition with detonation. There was no fire as there was no combustion, the fire department said, but confirmed that there was still a danger for the follow-up because there were finished products in crates.

Three killed, three injured in a blast at "Arsenal" arms manufacturer