Labour Minister Blames Midzhur Management For Deadly Blast

The managers of the Midzhur factory in the village of Gorni Lom is responsible for the deadly blast, which killed 15 people, the caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policies Yordan Hristoskov told bTV.

According to him, the management was criminally reckless and ignored the instructions of the Labour Inspectorate and the Hazardous Devices Control (KOS) agency.

According to Hristoskov both state agencies did their job properly and should not be blamed for the tragedy. In his words the latest labour inspection in the factory was in August and it established 13 violations of the regulations. The following inspection with KOS found that most of them have not been corrected and the two agencies issued penalties.

"The employer did not do his job, in spite the administrative and penalty measures," Hristoskov said. "He appealed in court the orders and penalties and they were often overruled by court, which means that he was certain he can carry on as usual."

Hristoskov said he would do everything within his power to make sure that those who are guilty of the tragedy will get their punishment.

"I was the one who told the relatives what had happened," he said. "Two women fainted in front of me. Later I was told one had lost a second child in a short period of time."