Second EMCO blast in month hits Bulgaria
Shafaq News- Sofia
A second explosion in just over a month hit a facility operated by Bulgarian arms manufacturer EMCO, with a fire triggering blasts at an ammunition storage site in central Bulgaria, local media reported on Saturday.
According to EMCO, the site contained ammunition and gunpowder, while authorities reported no deaths or injuries. The cause remained unknown, and officials did not immediately announce the extent of the damage or the quantity of ammunition stored at the site.
On August 10, another EMCO ammunition facility near Belitsa, outside Tryavna, caught fire and exploded, also without casualties. Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev stated at the time that there was no evidence of foreign interference. Cleanup from that blast was completed on September 8 after military teams recovered 60 unexploded munitions and about two tons of metal debris.
In 2024, prosecutors issued European arrest warrants for six Russian nationals accused of involvement in four explosions at Bulgarian arms facilities between 2011 and 2020, including an EMCO depot. Investigators claimed that some of the targeted munitions were intended for Ukraine and Georgia, while Moscow denied involvement.
