Bulgaria probes EMCO blast after second weapons depot fire in weeks

Bulgarian authorities have launched investigations after an overnight explosion and fire at a weapons storage site in central Bulgaria, weeks after another blaze at a munitions depot. Officials said no one was injured in the latest incident and the fire has been brought under control.

Interior Minister Ivan Dermendzhiev said the blaze near the village of Tsareva Livada may be linked to an earlier fire at another facility of the EMCO company in August. He said inquiries into the latest incident were under way.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Dermendzhiev said there had been lapses in how explosives and ammunition were being stored. "There is a neglect of the conditions under which explosives and ammunition are stored," he said, blaming the management.

He also raised concerns about security arrangements at the site. "There is also neglect of the method of security - we have one incident, we have a second. This activity is a serious enough source of danger not to neglect measures in any way," he said.

Dermendzhiev, who is part of the centre-left government of former president Rumen Radev, did not comment on opposition claims that the fires could be linked to sabotage by Moscow against plants supplying arms to Ukraine. Over the past decade, there have been several explosions at EMCO arms factories, and the company has been supplying arms to Ukraine. In 2015, EMCO owner Emilian Gebrev survived an assassination attempt, and charges have been filed against three Russian nationals suspected of being Russian military intelligence operatives. The latest blast has again put focus on safety and security at the company's facilities.