The Cronus funeral agency's offices have been bombed four times since the beginning of August in attacks blamed on an escalating war between funeral agencies.

The latest attack was in Bourgas on August 19. Their offices in Sofia and Plovdiv have also been targeted.

At a press conference on Monday, Cronus' manager Krassimir Krachunov claimed that rival companies had organized the attacks. "At least 10 other rival companies have been collecting money to fight and harm me," said Krachunov. He added that they must have paid for these attacks but he did not wish to name any companies as he felt this would interfere with the current police investigation.

According to Cronus' manager, the problems of the company started when he offered to sign contracts with Sofia's hospitals. "We wanted to make it legal instead of paying 30 leva to the hospital attendants. This money was never accounted for," said Krachunov. Cronus had put forward a proposal for a five-year contract with the Medical Academy Hospital's clinical pathology department. They offered to invest 300,000 leva.

"Even though there are 82 officially registered funeral agencies in Bulgaria, we were the only one to submit a proposal for the Medical Academy Hospital funeral services, but the tender was cancelled," said Krachunov.

He asked for legislation to be established to regulate the funeral business. "Due to unclear rules and laws, corruption starts from the level of hospital attendants, who can earn even more than professors in the same hospital," said Krachunov.

"It is extremely worrying that there are doctors eager to supply addresses and telephone numbers of relatives of the deceased," said Dr. Nikolov from Pirogov Emergency Hospital.

A janitor in Pirogov confirmed that doctors were getting money for giving this information and that they had their own mafia in the hospital. According to Krachunov, these factors push up the cost of funeral services.

The Medical Academy Hospital deals with between 1,500 and 1,800 corpses a year. Cronus had also offered to sign a three-year contract and invest 72,000 leva in Sofia's Third City Hospital.

According to the Sofia Cemeteries municipal company a funeral costs around 400 leva and a cremation is 500 leva. "You also have to pay 200 leva for the gravediggers," said Krachunov. The Cronus Funeral Agency charges 100 leva more than the state company. They claim that all the money is accounted for because company employees always assist the dead person's relatives. Cronus organizes three funerals a day and, according to Krachunov, some of his competitors have 10 funerals a day.

At a press conference on August 21Ventsislav Grigorov, director of the Sofia Cemeteries municipal company, appealed for a law to regulate funeral services. "The war between the private agencies will proceed until a law is written," he said.

The Funeral Agencies Union offered its members to seek responsibility from Grigorov, for his heavy attacks towards the competition - the private funeral companies. In a letter to the media of Tuesday, the Union said that although Sofia Cemeteries was the biggest funeral services agent in the capital, it was not special nor privileged, nor its director was a mentor of the branch. The letter also reminded that as of January 1, 2000 funeral services in Bulgaria are regulated as commercial activity at equal terms and free competition. According to the Union, the present legislation was enough at present, but it had to be observed.