Bulgaria's PM says drone explodes near gas pipeline close to Romanian border

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SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — A drone entered Bulgarian airspace on Saturday and exploded close to an international gas pipeline shortly after crossing the border from Romania.

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the drone exploded just after 5 a.m. about 100 meters (330 feet) inside Bulgarian territory. It was not detected or identified while flying through either Romanian or Bulgarian airspace.

“There are no casualties or damage to buildings. The area has been cordoned off. We continue to monitor the situation,” Radev said following a government emergency meeting.

Radev said the unmanned aerial vehicle exploded around 200 meters from a Romanian compressor station, and about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from Bulgaria’s compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and strengthen surveillance. Following this incident, we will also redeploy border police anti-drone detection and countermeasure capabilities from the border with Turkey to the border with Romania,” Radev said.

It was unclear where the drone had originated or whether it was linked to Russia or Ukraine.

The incident would be raised at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council early next week, Bulgaria's Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said.

The drone appeared to have carried a significant amount of explosives given the strength of the blast and the column of black smoke, Stoyanov said, adding that such drones are difficult to detect because of their small size and low flight altitude.

Bulgaria and Romania are both members of NATO and the European Union.