Meteorologists in weather station at Mount Murgash attacked, attacker is detained

The meteorologists on duty at the weather forecasting station on Mount Murgash in Bulgaria's Balkan Mountain were attacked and beaten at midnight on March 9. An unknown man entered through the window and brutally attacked Rumyana and Georgi Zlatanovi. The two fled to the neighboring Murgash hut, where they sought help. The injured were taken to hospital.

Dr. Lyuben Popov from the Neurosurgery Clinic at the Tsaritsa Ioanna Hospital - ISUL reported to the Bulgarian National Radio that the condition of the two injured has been stabilized and they remain under observation in the hospital.

We are deeply concerned, we condemn any violence, said to the Bulgarian National Radio Prof. Tanya Marinova - Director General of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology. She added that since the incident to the present moment, no observations and measurements have been made at the station. Due to lack of budget, it is not possible to provide guards, noted Prof. Marinova.

The man who perpetrated the attack has been detained, the Sofia police announced. He entered the building through a window on the third floor.

The 32-year-old man has no criminal record and resistedthe  arrest. The prosecutor's office will request a permanent arrest for the attacker, said the spokesman for the Sofia Police Department, Nikolay Nikolaev. The motives for the aggression are not yet clear.

The incident was reported at 1:15 a.m. by the hut keeper of the Murgash hut. The victims - beaten with tongs, a stove spit and fists - went to him for help. They have been admitted to the University Multi-profile Hospital for Active Treatment "Tsaritsa Ioana - ISUL" and are in serious but stable condition.