WARSAW — The blast that killed a US Defense Department contractor at Bulgaria's state-run arms plant VMZ Sopot last weekend follows a string of accidents there, including two this spring.
In March, a blast took place at a warehouse owned by VMZ Sopot but there were no casualties. Another blast took place at the same warehouse in late April, also causing no casualties.
Following the two explosions, production at the plant was halted, and on June 4, Ivan Stoenchev, the chief executive of VMZ Sopot, resigned. He has been replaced at the company's helm by Bogdan Bogdanov.
The most recent incident, which also injured four, is being investigated by Bulgarian authorities and was caused by the firing of a grenade launcher, local news agency Novinite reported.
"The incident took place during a test firing carried out by private company All Guns," the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian authorities have been discussing the privatization of the troubled defense company. In 2012 and 2013, the government attempted to sell a 100 percent stake in VMZ Sopot, but deals were never completed.
The company's product range includes artillery ammunition, anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, as well as grenades and other types of munitions, according to data released by VMZ Sopot.
Email: jadamowski@defensenews.com
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
