Update 2: Dedeman issued an official statement after Friday’s explosion, saying that “a licensed external company was carrying out work on the store's gas supply system” at the time of the blast. The authorities are investigating the circumstances in which these works could be linked to the explosion.

“We also emphasize that the Dedeman Botoșani store complies with all safety regulations, having all the necessary authorizations and approvals from the Emergency Situations Inspectorate. The proper functioning of the fire protection installations helped to limit the proportions of this incident,” reads the company’s statement.

The retailer also said it is working closely with the Emergency Situations Inspectorate to investigate and establish the exact cause of the explosion.

Update 1: The Ministry of Health officially announced 13 victims with second-degree burns, of which 4 were in serious condition, two of them intubated. Two of the patients in serious condition will be transported to the Saint Spiridon County Emergency Clinical Hospital in Iași, and two to the Bucharest Emergency Clinical Hospital (Floreasca) by air.

Initial story: At least 12 people were injured after an explosion caused extensive damage at a store of local do-it-yourself retailer Dedeman in Botoșani, northeastern Romania, on Friday morning, June 7. All the victims were transported to the hospital, one in serious condition, according to official information. 

The explosion caused a fire that was put out by the firefighter teams sent to the scene. The authorities activated the Red Intervention Plan, and several intervention crews from ISU, IGAv, and the County Ambulance Service responded. 

At the time this story was published, 12 people were reported as injured victims of the explosion. Roughly 110 other people, employees and customers, self-evacuated.

Raed Arafat, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, said that four SMURD helicopters, including the Black Hawk aircraft, have been dispatched to Botoșani, and the SMURD plane is ready to bring the victims to Bucharest, Biziday reported. Moreover, rescue search teams have also been set up to check the area for other possible victims.

The authorities are yet to establish the exact cause of the explosion. Cosmin Andrei, the mayor of Botoșani, reportedly said that the first information pointed to a malfunction of the gas installation.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Departamentul pentru Situaţii de Urgenţă)