Critical situation in Slăƒnic Prahova, where a street collapsed and a two-meter deep crater appeared. Dozens of locals have been evacuated, and the surrounding buildings are in danger. Geologists are in the area and are constantly taking measurements. Until a conclusion is reached, the security perimeter has been extended, and road and pedestrian traffic is prohibited.
UPDATE 14:15 One day after the crater formed in the city, the locals also noticed problems at kindergarten No. 1 in Slăƒnic. The parents warned the authorities that the walls of the unit are cracking from one day to the next. The prefect of Prahova County sent a control to the kindergarten to see if the situation is related to the crater in the city.
ISU came up with an answer in connection with this situation.
“Following the notifications received, an operative team of ISU Prahova went to the building with a garden destination, which is located at a distance of approximately 400 m from the location where the land subsidence occurred, to verify the information according to which the emergency situation produced on 25.04.2024 also affected the educational unit. At the place of the request, the firemen found the existence of some cracks in the walls of the building, but, according to the representatives of the garden, they existed and were accentuated, the ISU reported.
According to the authorities, there are no activities in the educational unit.
Until a specialized expertise, we cannot confirm or deny that the event produced is the cause of the accentuation of the already existing cracks at the pre-school education unit. At the same time, during the meeting of the County Committee for Emergency Situations on 25.04.2025, the location of the garden was also discussed, expert Co-opting them and not being able to formulate a recommendation in the absence of specialized expertise. We also want to inform you that the adopted measures were taken gradually and have a preventive nature, and they aim to protect the lives of citizens and not to create discomfort. We want to thank the residents of the buildings in the affected area for following our recommendations and assure them that all the institutions involved in the management of this event are making every effort so that the discomfort created has an impact as at least, it is shown in the ISU press release.
UPDATE 11:20 “Following the measurements carried out this morning, it was found that the subsidence of the land increased by approximately 20 cm,” DSU reported.
42 people were evacuated from the buildings in the vicinity, and through the care of the local public administration, two families were sheltered by economic operators within the locality.
„The situation is continuously monitored, and specialized personnel contracted by the Slăƒnic City Hall carry out measurements in order to transmit them to the technical expert in the field of Af (Mechanical Resistance and Stability of the Foundation Land of Constructions and Landmasses). At the same time, the operational teams of the IGSU, the Romanian Police and the Romanian Gendarmerie are present at the scene to ensure the measures within their area of competence and will remain in place until while the situation will require it, DSU also transmitted.
INITIAL TIRE: A street in Slăƒnic Prahova suddenly disappeared. A huge crater with a depth of over two meters appeared in the asphalt. The crack has expanded, and the crater is now 60 square meters. The experts who went there do not have good news. It is expected that the pit cannot be stabilized. Dozens of people have been evacuated, from the houses in the area and an entire block of stairs. The authorities say that there was another explosion nearby a few months ago. The entire locality sits on a huge salt deposit.
At the same time, all the staff from the police station in the area were evacuated.
The authorities realized that, at least visually, the crater grew, but more sensors were installed.
The locals say they are living a nightmare
The locals say that they are living a nightmare and that they feel constantly in danger.
Local: “We are scared, we are worried, there are a lot of vulnerable people, elderly people. It is an aging locality and we are actually in danger, we can wake up at any moment that the land has swallowed us whole.â€
Local: “Extremely serious. They have known each other for years. I think that all the water from Baia Baciului infiltrates somewhere here and I think that these are the problems. There are problems, there were also there, in the market, problems, near the salt pan. And there the houses started to leave. No measures were taken, because if measures were taken, it would not have reached here.â€
Local: „The buildings and the block have cracked, the sidewalk is flaming. It is possible to go further, to demolish blocks, to evacuate.â€
Toma Bogdan – captain of the Department for Emergency Situations: “Spaces have been identified where the population of the affected or possibly affected buildings can be accommodated overnight or for as long as the situation requires.”
The authorities say that this is not the first time they have faced this situation.
Experts do checks
Emil Dräƒgănescu – Prefect of Prahova County: “Nearby there was a punctual surprise a few months ago.”
Remus Moraru – mayor of Slăƒnic: They have never been to this area. On the other side there are areas, because the salt is closer to the surface of the earth, but not here. We don’t realize anything, because nobody knows what’s underneath.â€
A team of technical experts is present at the scene and checks to determine the cause of the surprise and what risks are in the area.
Several options are being considered, including an underground lake that could have led to this surprise.
Also, the area has been exploited for hundreds of years and there is also the option that there is an underground gallery under the place.
Publisher: BC
