2008 Chelopechene explosions

Last updated
2008 Chelopechene explosions
SofiaBlasts.JPG
A mushroom cloud formed shortly after the first explosion.
Date3 July 2008
Timeearly morning (0430 GMT) 06:30 local
Location Sofia, Bulgaria
Coordinates 42°44′26″N23°27′00″E / 42.7405°N 23.4500°E / 42.7405; 23.4500
Casualties
3 injured, no fatalities

The 2008 Chelopechene explosions were a series of explosions that began early on Thursday morning 3 July 2008 at around 6:30 am local time at a munitions depot in the suburb of Chelopechene, 10 kilometres east of the centre of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The initial explosions were powerful enough to be heard in the entire capital and surrounding villages. [1] The depot was part of a military facility (Podelenie 18 250) that specialised in dismantling obsolete ammunition. [2] [3]

Contents

Timeline

At 6:28 am, [4] Sofia residents were awakened by a powerful, deafening explosion so loud it set off car alarms in districts as far away as Lyulin, some 15 km from the blast. Further east there was great panic among residents as the shockwave shattered windows and some trees were blown down. There was another powerful blast at 6:45 am. Explosions continued throughout the day prompting authorities to evacuate the residents of Chelopechene, Chepintsi and Botunets. A mushroom cloud formed after the first explosion and rose quickly into the morning sky, obscuring the sun. Smaller explosions occurred after midnight on the morning of July 4. [5]

A total of 1,494 tonnes of ageing artillery shells, rocket propelled grenades, depth charges, hand grenades and other explosives were stored at the depots, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. [2] The communist-era ammunition had been due for disposal by army experts.

Panic and first media reports

The first official reports of the blast came on the Bulgarian National Radio 7:00 am news bulletin. TV stations and Internet media also reported that "loud explosions were heard in Sofia but the source was not immediately clear".

Bulgarian Nova Television, which is in close proximity to the blast site, showed residents leaving their homes in panic. Some complained of difficulty breathing. Two men wept on TV, saying their homes were absolutely devastated.

Police and emergency services were inundated with calls from frantic residents. Ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene but there was little they could do since loud explosions were still being heard in the area.

Official response

The mayor of Sofia, Boyko Borisov, was among the first officials to arrive at the scene. He arrived and issued a warning to local residents to stay indoors or leave the area and to the inhabitants of Sofia to stay at home, and close all windows. [6]

Later, all residents were ordered to evacuate an 8-km zone around the site for fear of another, more powerful explosion. Representatives from the Bulgarian Red Cross, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Defense, Civil Defense Units and Pirogov paramedics were all at the scene. The first few hours were characterised by many accusations in front of television crews between Borisov and Etem that the situation had not been, and was not, being handled well.

It is an interesting coincidence that a modernised system of the pan-European 112 emergency telephone line had only become operational at midnight on the same day. "Even if we had organized it, we could not have planned it so well," the Emergency Situations Minister told MPs. [7]

Injuries and property damage

Two people suffered cuts from broken glass and one man was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. Four soldiers on duty at the depots escaped unscathed.

Damage to the area was extensive. Aerial photos showed that the facility was obliterated. The ammunitions depot and surrounding buildings were destroyed.

Nearby homes suffered broken windows and smashed doors and cracks appeared on several homes. Sofia Airport and the Russian Cultural and Information Centre also suffered broken windows. [8] [9] [10] The airport was closed after debris from the blasts fell near a taxiway.

Sofia Airport closure

Sofia Airport had to close down as broken glass was reported at Terminal One and some debris landed on the runways. All flights were redirected to Plovdiv International Airport, about 160 kilometers east of Sofia.

Possible causes

By Sunday, July 6 there were already rumours circulating that the explosions were intentionally caused. Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev said that a fire (such as the one that caused the explosions) could not have accidentally occurred, and if it had indeed been an accident, that "whole blocks of flats would have been toppled". Instead, it was carefully engineered to spare casualties, Tsonev told reporters. He said that information from as far back as 2002 had suggested of wrongdoing at the unit.

Prosecutor General Boris Velchev considers the security of the facility inadequate and intends to investigate why the 1,500 tonnes of munitions were guarded only by two retired servicemen. The commander of the base is also under investigation for improprieties in the auctioning of the products of the dismantling.. On June 10, it became clear that 200 tonnes of munitions had been missing from the warehouses; one version being circulated was that the explosions aimed to cover up wrongdoings.

On Friday, July 11, it became clear that investigations would be carried out on suspicions into the possibility that the explosions were carried out on land due to be privatised.

Afternoon earthquake

To make matters worse, there was a moderate earthquake at 15:12 EET [11] [12] measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale. [11] [12] The epicentre was 15 km south of the centre of Sofia, in the borough of Pancharevo. [11] [12] Residents thought this was another explosion and rushed to the streets in panic, especially those living in high-rise buildings in the Mladost district. Scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said it was extremely unlikely that the earthquake was triggered by the blasts. The geological institute also said that there was no link to the blasts. [13] Bulgaria's defense minister Nikolay Tsonev said that there were no underground galleries at the military facility and thus no underground blasts that could have caused the recorded tremor. [14]

Environmental impact

"Large quantities of conventional ammunition are stored in the facility, but there are no toxic chemicals or radioactive substances stored there," said Nikolai Kolev, a former army chief of staff. There was visible air pollution in the area and residents said there was a strange smell in the air near the blast zone.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sofia Airport</span> International airport in Bulgaria

Sofia Airport is the main international airport of Bulgaria, located 10 km (6.2 mi) east of the centre of the capital Sofia. In 2019 the airport surpassed 7 million passengers for the first time. The airport serves as the home base for BH Air, Bulgaria Air, European Air Charter and GullivAir, and as a base for both Ryanair and Wizz Air. The airport also houses the Bulgarian Air Force's Vrazhdebna Air Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandar Branekov</span> Bulgarian footballer

Aleksandar Branekov is a former Bulgarian professional footballer who played as a centre back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Dar es Salaam explosions</span>

The 2011 Dar es Salaam explosions were a series of store ammunition explosions at an ammunition depot in Gongolamboto ward of Ilala District of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that killed 20–32 people. According to officials at the base, the first explosion was at 8:30 pm local time. Being the second explosion in two years of an ammunition depot near a populated area, several groups questioned the locations of these centers and requested they be moved. Reports indicate that 23 military structures, two homes and a school were destroyed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evelin Banev</span> Bulgarian businessperson (born 1964)

Evelin Banev, also known by his nickname Brendo is a real estate developer, published writer, and former wrestler who has been convicted of money laundering and drug trafficking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Bulgaria antiziganist protests</span>

The 2011 Bulgaria antiziganist (anti-Gypsy) protests started during the night of 23 to 24 September 2011 in the village Katunitsa and later spread to other locations all over the country, including Plovdiv, Sofia, Varna, Burgas, Pleven, Ruse, Pazardzhik, Stara Zagora and others. The reason for the unrest was the murder of a local youth, who was run over by a car by the close associate of local Roma boss Kiril Rashkov. These protests were accompanied with racist chants and called for violence against Romani. The riots in Katunitsa led to the burning of two cars and four houses, owned by different members of the family of the alleged Romani crime boss Kiril Rashkov, also known as "Tsar Kiro". The United Nations and the OSCE condemned the demonstrations and the violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Bulgarian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 12 May 2013, two months ahead of schedule. Protests had forced the resignation of the GERB government in February, leading to the election being moved up.

Delyan Slavchev Peevski is a Bulgarian politician, oligarch, sanctioned by Magnitsky Act by UK and US for corruption, bribery and embezzlement also a former media mogul who has served as a Member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria since 2009. A member of the DPS party, he was elected for a short time in 2013 as the Director of the State Agency for National Security, which triggered long lasting national protests. Peevski was also unanimously elected in 2024 as the co-leader of the DPS party alongside Dzhevdet Chakarov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corporate Commercial Bank</span> Bulgarian bank

Corporate Commercial Bank AD, commonly called Corpbank, was a Bulgarian bank. Corpbank was a universal bank, serving both as a traditional commercial bank, as well as an investment bank.

Maya Bozhidarova Manolova is a Bulgarian politician and the leader of the political movement Stand Up.BG, part of the Stand Up! Mafia, get out! coalition. She was formerly the vice-chairperson as well as a deputy in the Bulgarian National Assembly, as well National Ombudsman of Bulgaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Bulgarian floods</span> June 2014 flood in Bulgaria and Romania

On June 19, 2014, torrential rains caused severe flash flooding across northeastern Bulgaria leaving dozens of villages without electricity and submerging large parts of several cities in the region. At least 16 people were reported killed – 13 in the Asparuhovo district of Varna, one in Dobrich and two in the village of Tsani Ganchevo in Shumen Province.

The 2014 Gorni Lom explosions were a series of explosions that began on the afternoon of October 1, 2014, at 16:59 pm local time at the former Midzhur Ammo Plant in the village of Gorni Lom, in Bulgaria's northwestern Vidin Province. The series of blasts completely destroyed the factory, killing 13 men and 2 women who were inside and injuring 3 others who were some distance away. As a result of the blast, October 3 was declared a day of national mourning in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hitrino train derailment</span> 2016 railway incident in Bulgaria

On 10 December 2016, a freight train derailed, exploded and caught fire in the village of Hitrino in Shumen Province, Bulgaria, killing at least seven people and injuring 29 others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Bulgarian local elections</span>

The first round of the local elections for mayors and municipal councilors on both the local and provincial level in Bulgaria were held on 27 October 2019. The second round of the election took place on 3 November, as per the decree signed by the President of Bulgaria. 6,227,901 Bulgarians were included on the voter lists and were eligible to vote, a 136,000 voter reduction compared to the 2015 local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The System Kills Us</span> Non-governmental organization

The System Kills Us is the name of a Bulgarian protest movement and association of mothers and legal guardians of children with disabilities, campaigning for disability rights and state support for disabled people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Bulgaria

The COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Bulgaria when the country's first cases, a 27-year-old man from Pleven and a 75-year-old woman from Gabrovo, were confirmed on 8 March 2020. Neither of the two had traveled to areas with known coronavirus cases which is maybe because the PCR test that was used is defective. The man tested positive for the virus after being hospitalized for a respiratory infection, and authorities announced plans to test several people who were in contact with the two individuals. Two other samples in Pleven and Gabrovo were positive on 8 March. Patient zero remains unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–2021 Bulgarian protests</span> Bulgarian anti-government Protests

The 2020–2021 Bulgarian protests were a series of demonstrations that were being held in Bulgaria, mainly in the capital Sofia, as well as cities with a large Bulgarian diaspora, such as Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin and London. The protest movement was the culmination of long-standing grievances against endemic corruption and state capture, particularly associated with prime minister Boyko Borisov's governments, in power since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There is Such a People</span> Bulgarian populist political party

There Is Such a People is a populist political party in Bulgaria established by Bulgarian singer, TV host, and politician Slavi Trifonov. Self-described as a "political product", the party is named after one of Trifonov's own musical albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Vrbětice ammunition warehouse explosions</span> Series of explosions in the Czech Republic

In 2014, two explosions of ammunition depots occurred in Vrbětice, Vlachovice, in the Zlín District of the Czech Republic. The first explosion occurred on 16 October, and the second on 3 December. Two people were killed in the first explosion. The cleanup of unexploded ammunition left by the blasts was finished on 13 October 2020. According to the Security Information Service and the Police of the Czech Republic, two agents from GRU Unit 29155 were involved in the explosions, with the motivation of disrupting weapons supplies to Ukraine. On April 29th, 2024, Czech president Petr Pavel declared the investigations and information available to him confirm the event to be a Russian attack on Czech soil.

We Continue the Change, sometimes translated as Change Continues, is a centrist, anti-corruption political party and formerly an electoral alliance in Bulgaria led by Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev, two former caretaker ministers. It was founded ahead of the November 2021 election. The party was officially registered on 15 April.

Events in the year 2022 in Bulgaria.

References

  1. ↑ Blasts at Bulgarian army depots near capital damage buildings; no injuries
  2. 1 2 "Какво има в поделение 18 250" (in Bulgarian). Dnes.dir.bg. 2008-07-03. Archived from the original on 7 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  3. ↑ (in Norwegian) Description Archived 2008-07-12 at the Wayback Machine in Agder Flekkefjords Tidende : en avfallsplass for utrangerte militære våpen.
  4. ↑ 3 юли, 6.28 часа
  5. ↑ Dnes (in Bulgarian).
  6. ↑ (in Russian) Xinhua news agency report Archived 2008-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ The Chelopechene Incident – "a good test" for the system, according to Emel Etem Archived 2008-07-10 at the Wayback Machine , News24.bg, 9 July 2008, retrieved 10-07-2008. Around 2,500 calls were received about the incident on the day, of a total of around 20,000.[ citation needed ]
  8. ↑ (in Russian) Взрывами в Софии выбило окно в российском культурном центре (РИА Новости)
  9. ↑ (in Russian) The news report at РИА Новости
  10. ↑ (in Russian) News report at РИА Новости
  11. 1 2 3 "И земетръс в София". Dnes.bg (in Bulgarian). 2008-07-03. Archived from the original on 7 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  12. 1 2 3 "В 15.12 часа е регистрирано земетресението в столицата" (in Bulgarian). Focus news agency. 2008-07-03. Archived from the original on 7 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  13. ↑ "Arms dump explosions rock Bulgarian capital ... then the city is struck by an earthquake". Archived from the original on 12 July 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  14. ↑ "No Underground Galleries at Military Facility on Fire near Sofia". Archived from the original on 12 July 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.

News reports:

Video:

Galleries:

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.