There is still no leading working version of what went wrong in the exploded fireworks warehouses near Elin Pelin, the investigation told bTV. DNA expertise is now ready for two of the four victims. The cause of their death was barotrauma.
According to the expertise, the heavily charred bodies found belong to Teodor Popov, who is the son of the owner of the warehouses, as well as to a 60-year-old man. According to the television, this is Stoyan Maslev.
In the tragic accident with explosions and fire, 48-year-old Associate Professor Petar Shishkov and his daughter Kristina also died. They were taken to Pirogov Hospital, where they later died.
Seven days after the tragedy, it is still not possible to examine the epicenter of the explosion because of smoldering fires. Investigators and explosive device experts will try to gather all available physical evidence and retrieve video footage if possible because the servers are located at the epicenter.
“This is the main question of the investigation – whether there was a fire first or an explosion first. We have started to build a picture of what most likely happened, but the experts will have the last word,” said Marijan Marinov, an investigator in the Criminal Division and spokesperson for the NSlS.
DNA tests on two of the victims show that they died as a result of barotrauma.
“They were at the epicenter and at the heart of the fire. Barotrauma is just that – that they were in a place where there was a loud explosion and subsequent burns, but they were in a place where the burning continued, unlike the associate professor and his daughter. The smoke was very thick, very toxic,” added Marijan Marinov.
Firefighters, sappers and investigators will recreate the explosions and the fire.
“It’s not healthy for a person to walk in there, but someone has to come in. The material evidence is particles, pieces of something and must be analyzed with physico-chemical expertise and a reconstruction of the explosion should be made,” the investigator said.
The four security guards who worked in the warehouses before the incident were questioned today. Among them is the man who was on shift on the fateful evening. Our team managed to find his relatives. They said medically he is fine but in shock.
Yesterday, his colleague told bTV that more people were working in the warehouses. Thus, if the explosion had occurred only 20 minutes earlier, the victims could have been much more, the guard admitted.
“We warn everyone not to smoke. From outside companies, there are those who come in with a truck or something to work and I tell them: “no smoking, because everything will go into the air”, said Veselin Mitev.
According to information from bTV, the warehouses were often visited by assistants of associate professor Petar Shishkov. Among them is the boy who managed to save himself, as well as the 60-year-old man who died. His son was usually with him, but not on the fatal evening.
The national investigation called on all people who reported to 112, eyewitnesses to the first minutes of the explosions, as well as witnesses who took pictures and have videos from July 25, to assist the investigators and report the events directly to the National Investigation Service.
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