Blast with two victims at Sadu Factory

Two people were killed and a third is injured after a blast at the Sadu Arms Factory, head of the ITM Gorj George Romanescu stated, Agerpres informs.

George Romanescu also stated that one of the ITM’s special teams went there in order to investigate. Romanescu also reached the explosion site shortly after.

Local authorities and policeman are currently investigating the possible causes of the explosion.

According to authorities, the blaze took place in a depot where there had been deposited the powder, which represented the raw material of a section’s two days of work. After the blaze, the department was almost completely destroyed and the roof ripped off.

Gorj county prefect Liviu Andrei stated that, according to the Sadu factory director, the fire started when two women were carrying the ammunition from the depot to the section, no other causes being known.

About one thousand employees of the Mechanical Factory Sadu have been sent home after the blaze.

According to the head of ISU Gorj, Colonel Liviu Dumitraşcu, the evacuation of the employees has been effectuated according to the internal regulations of the factory, although there is no risk of other explosions.

The normal daily work schedule usually ended at 15.10, but the workers had been sent home two hours earlier.

The Mechanical Factory Sadu is situated in Bumbeşti Jiu in Gorj county, in the proximity of the European route E70 Târgu Jiu - Petroşani.

The Mechanical Factory Sadu makes makes infantry ammunition, infantry weapons and training pyrotechnic elements.

The factory is registered with the National Agency for Fiscal Administration as a top tax debtor in the Gorj county.

The man who had been injured in the blaze which took place at the Mechanical Factory Sadu was taken to the Bucharest Emergency Clinical Hospital for Plastic and Reparatory Surgery and Burns by a MESRE (Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication) helicopter.

Doctors in charge stated that the injured man suffered airway burns, but also burns over half her body.

Translated by: Mihaela Grigoraş
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University