UPDATE 1 - Blast at Bulgarian pyrotechnics plant kills one, injures three

The ministry said in a press release that it received a signal about the incident at 1027 CET.

State-run radio BNR quoted Maglizh mayor Gospodin Gospodinov as saying the incident happened in a plant, privately owned by a company called Balista, which produces hunting ammunition.

The injured individuals, a man and two women, have been hospitalised.

Later on Friday, the defence ministry said that preliminary data showed the blast was probably caused by a technical mistake. Yet the exact cause is yet to be clarified.

The environment ministry said during the day preliminary data showed the threshold values of controlled indicators of gas emission, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, have not been exceeded.