Two people died, and 56 were injured after two powerful explosions occurred on Saturday afternoon at an LPG station in southern Romania, which was still in use despite lacking a fire safety licence and being officially closed, according to Euractiv.
Among those injured were 39 firefighters, two gendarmes and two policemen, with eight currently in critical condition.
As for the deaths, a local man died shortly after the explosions of a heart attack, while his wife died later in hospital with burns over 95% of her body.
Thousands of residents were evacuated from the affected area and nearly 20 houses and several cars were destroyed.
Following the incident, Romania activated the Civil Protection Mechanism of the EU on Saturday night, with Health Minister Alexandru Rafila citing the lack of capacity to treat a significant number of severely burned patients.
During the night, two firefighters were transported to Brussels and two others to Italy, all requiring intensive care. Another eight injured people are set to be transferred to Austria, Germany, and Norway, Rafila announced on Sunday.
Authorities in Sofia have announced their capacity to accommodate 17 people.
Rafila said that there are approximately 30 beds for major burn patients at the national level, with only six vacant by Saturday.
When asked about the lack of a major burn hospital after the Colectiv fire in 2015 ‐ a tragedy that cost the lives of 65 people following an explosion at a club in Bucharest ‐ Rafila blamed it on certain decision-makers who were unfairly ‘obstructing’ projects ‐ jeopardising World Bank funding for Romania.
The construction of such a hospital has just started in Timișoara, with plans for hospital construction to begin soon in Bucharest and Târgu Mureş.
“We have about two years of execution period, so Romania will have another 20 beds to the existing 30”, said the minister.
“I urged the authorities to take urgent measures for the injured so that the tragedies of the past would not be repeated”, said President Klaus Iohannis, alluding to the Colectiv incident.
Two investigations have been launched, Prosecutor General Alex Florența announced on Sunday afternoon. One inquiry is focused on determining the causes of the explosion at the LPG station in Crevedia, Dâmbovița county, 30 kilometres north of Bucharest, while the other centres on how the explosions were extinguished.
In 2020, the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations did not grant a fire authorisation extension for the company. After being fined twice, the company, which managed 25 work points, announced the closure of its Credevia work point in September 2020. However, various operations have continued.
Initial investigations revealed that the first explosion took place during a liquefied gas transfer operation between tanks, though Prosecutors are trying to determine how a closed facility was able to operate illegally for three years and have searched the company’s headquarters and the town hall in Credevia.
The company was originally owned by Ion Doldurea, the PSD mayor of Caracal, before being transferred to his son. Doldurea announced on Sunday that he is giving up all functions in the PSD but remains mayor.
“Although I have no involvement in the company where the tragic event happened since a member of my family is involved, I decided to suspend myself as a member of the PSD to avoid misinterpretation”, Doldurea said.