The approximately 15 people who were working inside the factory at the time of the first explosion are presumed to have died instantly, while 3 female workers in the vicinity of the complex suffered injuries from flying glass and shrapnel.

[2] According to Nikola Nikolov, the head of the interior ministry's civil defense force, the blasts were powerful enough to completely destroy the main buildings in the plant, leaving huge craters the size of football fields behind and sending debris flying up to a kilometer away.

[3] The same plant had received several urgent citations by authorities just two months prior to the accident, notifying the owners of outdated equipment, improperly stored explosives and a larger amount of munitions at the site than it could safely handle.

In the aftermath of the disaster labor minister Yordan Hristoskov vowed to never allow the factory to reopen, placing the future of around 150 jobs in question and prompting condemnation from local residents.

After a period of 24 hours since the last explosion had passed, investigators were allowed access to the scene and began their work, making the initial trip in a Bulgarian Army Plasan Sand Cat vehicle as a safety precaution.