Today in History - September 7: Seven killed in botched plan to ditch illegal fireworks
Seven people were killed after a botched effort to dispose of illegal fireworks went awry on September 7, 1984.
A patrol boat of the Maltese Armed Forces Maritime Squadron was tasked with dumping the fireworks off the coast.
But something triggered the fireworks on board, causing a massive explosion that killed five soldiers and two policemen.
The prevailing theory is that the fireworks were set off by a spark from a closing hatch.
The sole survivor was 21-year-old Private Emmanuel Montesin.
Despite his injuries, he managed to take the damaged boat back to land to raise the alarm.
The boat was repaired and remained in service until 2010.
An autopsy of his body found a tiny metal ball in his leg.
Scientists concluded Markov had been poisoned with ricin inside the millimetre-wide ball.
The man responsible was never caught, but a defector later said the Bulgarian Secret Service had arranged the assassination with the help of the Soviet KGB.
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