A bullet fired as a warning to a group of migrants near Bulgaria's border with Turkey has ricocheted off a bridge, claiming the life of one of the migrants hiding under it, sources say.

Border police were initially hunting down about 10 migrants spotted crossing from Turkey, but then bumped into a much bigger group of "over 40 people," unnamed Interior Ministry officials told the website Dnevnik.bg.

According to this version, the officers followed the 10 migrants some 30 km into Bulgarian territory before finding out they were part of a much larger group.

The sources suggest the migrants were staying under the bridge waiting for smugglers to arrive to help them continue their journey.

Police officers tried to surround the migrants on both sides of the bridge but these showed "resistance" and one officer fired a warning shot.

Earlier, unconfirmed reports revealed the 54 people, supposedly Afghans, were waiting in an area that was commonly known as a "juncture" from where smugglers loaded them on buses or other vehicles.

The current version put forward by the Interior Minister's Chief Secretary Georgi Kostov says that the 25-year-old man died from his wounds caused as a result of the bullet ricocheting and hitting the back of his neck.

A probe has been launched into the developments, and a post-mortem examination of the body is to take place in the Black Sea city of Burgas later on Friday.

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