Today we celebrate 22 years since the tragedy that horrified Romania, 18 people died as a result of the explosion, including 2 journalists from Antena 1, 7 firefighters, the truck driver and 8 villagers, and 13 people were injured, property damage of 70,000 euros and three sentenced to 4 years in prison.
The tragedy was the biggest disaster produced on the roads in Romania.
On May 24, 2004, in Mihăilești commune, Buzău county, Romania, a truck loaded with ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) overturned and caught fire. An hour later, it exploded, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others.
At 4:57 a.m., a truck loaded with 20 tons of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) overturned on the European road E85 (national road DN2) that connects Bucharest with Moldova, near Mihăilești commune in Buzău county. Shortly after the accident, the truck caught fire and the driver immediately called 911. Two fire engines arrived at the scene 20 minutes later and started extinguishing the fire. A television crew also arrived and began filming for a news journal. Meanwhile, curious villagers gathered around the accident site. At 5:47, there was a small explosion in the cab of the truck, followed two minutes later by a larger explosion that killed seven firefighters, the television crew (Ionuț Barbu and Elena Popescu (from Antena 1)), several villagers and the truck driver, a total of 18 people; 13 other people were injured. Of the 18 dead people, two (the truck driver and one of the firefighters) had to be identified through DNA tests. The explosion left behind a 6.5 meter deep crater, human remains and debris scattered over a radius of several hundred meters and caused around €70,000 worth of damage.
Following this event, safety regulations for the transport of chemicals were improved and ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) was classified as a hazardous chemical compound. Ion Gherghe, the director of the Doljchim plant that produced ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), as well as the administrators of the two companies involved in transporting this substance without safety measures, Mihai Gună and Ionel Ionuț Neagoe, were accused of manslaughter and material damage. All were found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison, as well as payment of compensation to the families of the victims.
In 2007, three years after the event, a monument was erected in memory of the victims of the tragedy. The event is commemorated every year on May 24 by the victims’ relatives and representatives of the Buzău Emergency Situations Inspectorate.
https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explozia_de_la_Mih%C4%83ile%C8%99ti
Posted by Altruistic-Laugh-284
2 Comments
E duminica si m-am trezit cu un thread care ma face sa ma simt foarte batran. Ouch
Aveam 4 ani atunci. Care a fost scuza Antenei și au fost dați în judecată de rudele victimelor? Nu cred că s-au dus reporterii de capul lor leagă cisternă.