site.btaUPDATED Three Bodies Found near Burnt Hut in Western Balkan Mountains

Three bodies have been found near a lodge near the Petrohan Pass in the Western Balkan Mountains, the Sofia Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry told BTA.

Later on Monday, Sofia District Prosecutor Hristina Lulcheva told journalists that the lodge, near which three bodies were discovered, has been burned down.

Law enforcers are waiting for fire services to confirm that it is safe for the investigative teams to enter and carry out investigative actions. At this stage, no witnesses have been identified in the area of the incident. Lulcheva added that it is yet to be established whether there were gunshots and what the cause of death of the three individuals was.

At around 11.20 am, the police received an alert about a burned-down hut in the area of the village of Gintsi. A short distance away from it, three male bodies were discovered, said Senior Commissioner Tihomir Tsenov, Director of the Sofia Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior.

He said that teams from the police and fire services found at the scene a burned section of the lodge, which is the former hut Petrohan and is currently managed by a private individual. Procedural and investigative actions and on-site inspections are currently underway, he added.

According to him, at this stage it can be assumed that the three individuals were living in the hut. “We know that they were residing in the hut. We assume there are gas cylinders inside, and at the moment it is dangerous for colleagues to enter and carry out an inspection of the crime scene. Therefore, at a later stage, when we receive confirmation from the fire services that it is safe, our colleagues will proceed with the procedural and investigative actions inside,” Senior Commissioner Tsenov added.

When asked whether there were gunshot wounds on the bodies, he stated that examinations are currently underway and that the bodies are not charred. Senior Commissioner Tsenov said that the investigation will determine whether there were shots fired and whether there are other individuals involved.

Prosecutor Lulcheva said that the hut is located in a hard-to-reach area in a forested region. She added that it remains to be determined what the three individuals were engaged in, what activities they were carrying out at the site, for what purpose the hut was being occupied by them, what weapons they had, and whether those weapons were legally possessed. All versions will be checked, and all circumstances will be examined in order to establish the exact cause of this serious crime, the prosecutor added. “We have three bodies. We are talking about the murder of more than two persons, which is a serious offence qualified under Article 116 of the Criminal Code,” she said.

“Only a forensic medical examination can determine the cause of death of the three individuals,” Lulcheva stated.

When asked whether there are any suspects, Senior Commissioner Tsenov said: “At this moment, I cannot answer that question.”