Huge blasts at Romania fuel station kill one and injure 57

Pompieri intervin pentru stingerea unui incendiu aparut in urma unei explozii la o staite GPL din Crevedia, Dimbovita, 26 august 2023. Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea

One person died and 57 were injured after two blasts at a liquefied petroleum gas station in southern Romania.

The injured included 43 firefighters who rushed to the scene, following the first explosion near the capital Bucharest on Saturday evening.

Shortly after, a second blast sent a mushroom cloud billowing into the sky.

Authorities said at least eight of the injured had been severely burnt. They plan to send four to hospitals abroad.

People within a 700-meter radius have been evacuated from the area.

“The area is still dangerous… there is a risk of another explosion at another tanker,” said Raed Arafat, head of Romania’s emergency department.

President Klaus Iohannis described the explosions as a “tragedy” and said he was “profoundly saddened” by what had happened.

“An investigation must quickly be launched to see if rules were broken. I ask the authorities to take urgent measures for the injured so that these tragedies won’t happen again,” he wrote on Facebook