The administrator of the block that exploded, interviewed: who does she accuse of breaking the seal
The administrator of the building in Rahova, where a devastating explosion caused the death of three people and the injury of 15 others, was heard at the Prosecutor's Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal. The woman claims that the representatives of the company who were to inspect the gas installation, a company recommended by Distrigaz, would have broken the seal placed the day before by the company's employees.
The administrator of the building in Rahova arrived at the hearings PHOTO: Profimedia
The woman arrived on Sunday morning at the Prosecutor's Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal to be heard in connection with the explosion in Sector 5 of the Capital. She told journalists that the representatives of the company that was going to carry out the inspection of the gas installation “they broke the seal” put by Distrigaz.
A tenant who drove her to the hearings confirmed the same version: “The seal would have been broken by the company that was going to do the revision“, he said.
ANRE: The gas supply had been shut off and the solenoid valve sealed
The National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) stated on Friday that, the day before the explosion, the block's gas supply had been cut off by a Distrigaz Sud Rețele team, which had also sealed the electrovalve.
According to the information provided by the distribution operator and quoted by ANRE, on October 16, after a complaint regarding the smell of gas, the Distrigaz team remotely operated the electrovalve, stopping the gas supply, and then moved to the site to seal it.
On the morning of October 17, at approximately 09:30, another crew found that the seal had been broken. “Shortly after this finding, the explosion occurred“, the ANRE press release shows.
However, the time indicated by the authority does not correspond to the images captured by a nearby video camera, which shows that the explosion occurred at 09:06.
The official specifications of Distrigaz
Distrigaz Sud Rețele sent, for its part, a press release in which it expresses itself “all compassion for the families of the victims and all those affected, directly or indirectly”and explains the sequence of events.
“On October 16, around 07:08, the Gas Emergency Call and Troubleshooting Center of Distrigaz Sud Rețele received a notification regarding the smell of gas in the building on Vicina street no. 1, block 32, stair 2, Sector 5. The company's teams immediately moved to the site, confirmed the presence of natural gas and stopped the supply, sealing the branch valve at 09:18“, the press release states.
The company states that, on the morning of October 17, at 08:44, a new complaint regarding the smell of gas was received. “The intervention teams arrived at the scene at the time of the explosion. The intervention agent of Distrigaz Sud Rețele found the broken seal on the closed valve the previous day”it is also mentioned in the document.
Tragedy on Calea Rahovei: three dead and 13 injured
The explosion occurred on Friday morning, on Petre Ispirescu Street, near the “Dimitrie Bolintineanu” High School, in Sector 5 of the Capital. The explosion was followed by a strong fire, and the authorities activated the red intervention plan, multiple victims being reported.
The provisional balance sheet shows three people dead and 13 injured, including a 17-year-old girl in serious condition. Three of the victims suffered severe burns, and the Ministry of Health announced that, after their stabilization, it will take steps to transfer them abroad.
The investigation is ongoing, and the authorities are verifying all the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
