The police have pressed charges of endangering public safety against three people suspected of being responsible for the gas explosion in an apartment building at Mukačevská street 7 in Prešov on Friday. It has been confirmed that the explosion claimed the lives of seven people, but one person is still unaccounted for.
The investigation team is examining the cause of the explosion. However, according to the Director of the Fire and Rescue Corps in Prešov Ján Goliaš, "it will definitely be related to the reconstruction of gas". "Apparently the pipeline was broken through, after which the gas rose to the upper floors," wrote the Denník N daily.
Moreover, the building was reconstructed in 2017 and firefighters disagreed with some modifications. "Some regulations were violated. It could have caused the staircase to fall, which could not be used for evacuating people," said Goliaš.
On Sunday, construction engineers announced that the four upper floors of the building needed to be demolished, as the building represents a threat to the public. As of Monday noon, it was still not clear whether the remaining storeys would be demolished too. The owners of the flats agreed with the demolition of the entire building if it turns out to be necessary. According to experts, it could be saved under some circumstances, however, it will depend on many factors and the Crisis Committee will take the decision.
The city authority of Prešov will receive €1 million from the Government and €50,000 from the Prešov self-governing region. Moreover, at noon on Monday there was already €1.4 million in the city's transparent account from public collections.
