An 81-year-old German man who lived alone in the village of Goritsa, in Pomorie municipality, has been found dead at home. An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

Neighbours hadn't seen him for more than a week. At first they thought he'd gone away somewhere, but later decided to check and found his body in the house.

Villagers say the body was badly decomposed, a sign that he'd died several days before he was found. The exact time of death is still not known.

The body has been taken to the forensic medicine unit. Doctors will determine whether the man died of natural causes, in an accident, or whether there are signs of violence on the body. So far there's no official information pointing to a violent death.

Whether the case turns out to be a tragic accident involving an elderly foreigner who lived alone, or leads to a wider investigation, will depend on the forensic doctors' findings.

The case has shaken people in Goritsa who knew the man.