Arafat's warning: “There may be other drones in the area.” Why was the evacuation Ro-alert issued after the explosion in Constanța Port
The authorities issued two Ro-Alert messages and ordered preventive evacuations in the coastal area of Constanta, after a maritime drone exploded. The head of the DSU, Raed Arafat, warns that there is a possibility that other similar devices are in the area.
The drone before the explosion
“There is the possibility that there are other drones. There is a risk that, if they are in other areas, the same thing will happen. That is why we give the preventive evacuation message. (…) There is a suspicion that there may be other drones. If there was one, there may be others. The suspicion is legitimate. We do not know if there were more drones. The SMURD helicopter was raised to check the coast”, said Raed Arafat.
According to the head of the DSU, the situation was considered under control during the morning, which is why a Ro-Alert message was not sent immediately. At that time, only the perimeter around the suspicious object had been evacuated. “In the morning it was considered that the situation was under control. Only the area around the drone was evacuated. The evacuation that we are doing now, on a wider level, is determined by the fact that the drone can detonate itself and there is a risk that there are other drones. When we consider the situation to be safe, we return and inform the population that they can return to the coastal area”, Arafat specified.
He emphasized that all the measures ordered are strictly preventive in nature.
“The measures are purely preventive. If there are other drones, let there not be another explosion near people. That's why we are doing the preventive evacuation”explained the head of DSU.
Raed Arafat also announced the mobilization of important intervention resources.
“Until this moment we have no victims, but the situation is dynamic. The SMURD helicopter was ordered to fly over the coastal area, and the Black Hawk helicopter from Tulcea was mobilized. There is a possibility of other drones. That is precisely why the Ro-Alert messages were issued.” he declared.
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Message Ro -Alert Constanța
The head of the DSU also specified that the Romanian president was immediately informed about the incident.
“Mr. President, even if he is on a flight, he was informed immediately. I will leave urgently for Constanța”, Arafat said.
The drone self-detonated in the Constanța Civil Port
The maritime drone was discovered on Friday, June 5 in the Constanța Civil Port, near the headquarters of the Romanian Lifesaving Agency at Sea. Around 10.30 am, the device self-detonated without causing any casualties.
The area was already secured and cordoned off by forces of the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Coast Guard and the Ministry of National Defense, while specialists assessed the object and tried to make it safe.
According to official information, it is a maritime drone of the type used in the war in Ukraine. The authorities stated that the object does not belong to the Romanian Army and was not involved in the military exercises recently held in the Black Sea area.
The investigation is coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Constanța Court of Appeal, and the authorities have conveyed that the situation remains dynamic and that they will communicate new information as it becomes available.
