Sofia's Airport temporarily shut after munitions dump explosion

A series of powerful explosions rocked an arms disposal depot storing 1,500 tonnes of obsolete munitions outside Sofia on Thursday, injuring three people, shaking apartment blocks and panicking thousands. The explosions followed a fire at the complex near the village of Chelopechene on the eastern edge of the Bulgarian capital, police and civil defence officials said. Sofia was later shaken by a 3.2-magnitude earthquake, the geological institute said. It said there was no link to the blasts. The tremor's epicentre was about 15 km (10 miles) south of the capital and caused no casualties or damage. The explosions continued for about eight hours. Authorities said smaller blasts were likely in the next 24 hours and urged Sofia's nearly two million citizens to stay calm.Checks showed increased emissions of sulphur and nitrogen dioxide in the air in eastern and north-eastern suburbs but civil defence officials said human health was not threatened. Sofia's international airport to the east of the capital was shut temporarily after debris from the blasts fell on the runway. Incoming flights were diverted to the southern city of Plovdiv.