Mystery explosion near Moldova's capital prompts police search
Residents near Chișinău reported hearing an explosion (illustrative photo: Getty Images)
A powerful explosion was unexpectedly heard near the Moldovan village of Colonița, which borders Chișinău, overnight on September 18, according to Moldova's General Police Inspectorate and local media.
Residents reported the explosion
Residents reported the loud noise to police at around 4 a.m. According to available information, the explosion occurred in the southwestern part of the village of Colonița, in the direction of the village of Tohatin.
Police immediately went to the areas in question and searched the villages of Colonița and Humulești, but found no traces of an explosion. Additional searches are currently underway in the villages of Dolinnoe and Maximovca.
Colonița Mayor Angela Zaporojan clarified that the explosion itself did not occur within the village.
Police examine video footage and deploy drones
Viorel Cernăuțeanu, head of the General Police Inspectorate, told journalists that police were also examining additional video footage to determine the exact location of the explosion.
DEVELOPING: Moldovan authorities are investigating an unexplained explosion near Chișinău early this morning.
— Coffe Report (@CoffeReport) September 18, 2026
Police received multiple reports of a loud blast around 04:20 near Colonița–Tohatin. Video reportedly confirms an explosion accompanied by a bright flash.
Police… pic.twitter.com/ftppGF8oVb
"It may come to the point where we have to search several more areas," Cernăuțeanu said.
According to him, additional police officers were sent to the area, while drones were deployed to search for the source of the explosion.
Moldova's Ministry of Defense told NewsMaker that it had detected no violations of the country's airspace overnight on September 18.
Six hours have already passed, but the cause of the explosion remains unknown.
Several days ago, authorities temporarily closed part of the country's airspace because of a drone that entered from the direction of Ukraine, delaying several flights.
Earlier, the head of Moldova's Intelligence and Security Service also said that the Kremlin was recruiting Moldovan citizens for €20–100 to carry out sabotage operations, many of them linked to Ukraine.
