site.btaAll Tank Cars at Hitrino Handled - Interior Minister

 All Tank Cars at Hitrino Handled - Interior Minister

Village of Hitrino, Northeastern Bulgaria, December 13 (BTA) - All tank cars of the train which was derailed early on Saturday at Hitrino station have been handled, Interior Minister Roumyana Buchvarova told journalists on Tuesday. This means that not all of them have been fully emptied but that they can be removed, she added.

Seven people were killed and many homes were destroyed or damaged in the incident which involved an explosion of a tank car and a huge fire.

Chief Commissioner Nikolay Nikolov, head of the Fire Safety and Civil Protection Directorate General, said gas was still leaking and crews were trying to contain it. The cold weather with snow and strong wind is good for the operation but not for the people working at the scene.

The regional environmental protection unit says the air in the village is not polluted.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and representatives of the Bulgarian Construction Chamber visited Hitrino on Tuesday to plan repairs of the damaged homes and the accommodation of people in temporary housing until new homes are built.

In the spring, Hitrino will be one of the best villages, Borissov said before journalists. As soon as the technical experts say that there is no more threat for the population, the people may return and the building companies may start working, he added.

Health Minister Peter Moskov, who is also in Hitrino, said five emergency medical teams would stay there. There are 13 patients in two hospitals in Varna and one in Shoumen, of whom three patients are in critical but stable condition. All chemists and general practitioners in Shoumen Region have been ordered to provide service to Hitrino residents without requiring a record of subsidized prescriptions.

BSP Left Bulgaria insist on holding a joint meeting of the parliamentary transport and internal security committees to discuss the incident in Hitrino and decide on changes in the relevant legal acts and subordinate legislation. Ninova explained that the effective law on the protection in case of disasters and its implementing regulations restrict the possibilities of the state to finance the restoration of people's homes. BSP insists on fast and objective investigation.

BSP Left Bulgaria said they will donate 40,000 for the victims in Hitrino and the Reformist Bloc - 10,000 from their party subsidy. The MPs of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms will donate their December salaries. Energo-Pro will repair the destroyed services to houses and will donate 10,000 leva in cash. Prime Minister Borissov urged all parties to donate part of their party subsidies.

Agriculture Minister Dessislava Taneva, who is in Brussels, said that the European Commission has approved on Tuesday some 20 million leva to cope with the damage from the explosion in Hitrino. The funds will be extended under the Rural Development Programme.

The Prime Minister ordered the Agriculture Minister to dismiss all staff members who decided to hold a seminar in the coastal town of Nessebar on Monday. The event was held in a way unacceptable for a national day of mourning, the government information service said.

In the meantime Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov said that the most important thing now is to complete the inspection of the train and eliminate the risk for the population. At this stage, the theory about deliberate causing of the incident is excluded. According to one of likeliest hypotheses followed by the investigation, when the train entered the railway station its speed was far above the limit, the Prosecutor General also said. He explained that the train had been moving ahead of schedule. 24 forensic examinations have been assigned so far and 31 witnesses have been interrogated.