The head of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), Raed Arafat, announced on Wednesday that the Praid Salt Mine is completely flooded at this time, and a team from the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism will come to Romania to work with local experts.
„At this moment, the Praid Salt Mine is completely flooded, the amount of water accumulated being approximately 4 million cubic meters. To manage the emergency situation, at the General Inspectorate for Emergencies (IGSU) level, starting with May 6, forces from the ISU Harghita, and later from the ISU Brasov, Covasna, Mures and Neamt were mobilized with motor pumps and worked in an attempt to evacuate the water from the salt mine, but this could not be achieved. The first interventions of the ISU were on May 6”, Raed Arafat said after the Government meeting at the Victoria Palace.
According to the head of the DSU, on June 1, an extraordinary online meeting of the National Committee for Emergency Situations took place, in order to approve a request for international assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
„The decision also taken by the prime minister was to request experts to come and work with our experts so that we can strengthen the activity there and be able to exchange opinions and have more substantiated opinions and for there to be a consultation. Always when you have a second opinion, especially when well-trained experts come who have had similar experiences, we can have an added value. On June 2, through the Civil Protection Mechanism, a request was submitted for a team of experts in the fields of: rock mechanics, salt mines, environmental impact, stability of the geodetic salt exploitation structure, mechanical resistance, stability of the foundation soil for construction, stability of earth masses. (…) On June 3, a videoconference was held with the eight experts from Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Hungary, within the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, and they will arrive in Romania today,” Arafat said.
AGERPRES
