Dramatic in Pirot, video footage appeared; There are dead VIDEO/PHOTOS

Dramatic in Pirot, video footage appeared; There are dead VIDEO/PHOTOS

Due to symptoms of poisoning, 51 people were hospitalized, and according to unofficial information from the media, one person allegedly died as a result of poisoning.

Elixir Group is the owner of the ammonia that leaked near Pirot

Elixir Group, the owner of the ammonia that leaked near Pirot, issued a statement that we are transmitting in full:

"On Sunday, December 25, around 4:30 p.m., 4 out of a total of 20 wagons of a freight train carrying ammonia loaded in Bulgaria derailed. The owner of the cargo, i.e. the ammonia transported by this freight train, is the Elixir Group from Šabac. The derailment occurred on the section tracks outside the settlement, between the railway stations Pirot and Staničenje. Two wagons overturned when they slipped, and ammonia leaked from one of the overturned wagons due to severe damage. The amount of ammonia leaked has not yet been estimated, it is assumed that the amount in question is about 20 tons. All relevant facts of this accident will be determined after the investigation carried out by the Technical Railway Commission, composed of representatives of the holders of public authorities: Infrastructure of Serbia, which manages the public railway infrastructure, and Serbia Karga, which is a freight carrier in public rail traffic.

Elixir Group immediately made all its resources and trained teams available to the Department for Emergency Situations of the city of Pirot, and our teams from Prahov were sent to the scene last night where they participate in the rehabilitation of the accident site in order to normalize daily life in Pirot and its surroundings as soon as possible.

Although Elixir Group, as the owner of the cargo, is not responsible for an accident that occurred in public transport, we are ready to participate in the remediation of all consequences suffered by the local population and the environment due to the accident. Our priority at the moment is the protection of citizens' health, and in the long term systematic work on the prevention of similar incidents.

We thank all the people involved in cleaning up the consequences of the accident and we hope for a speedy recovery of the citizens who were exposed to the effects of ammonia, with great regret that it happened."

Republic Headquarters for Emergency Situations

Republic Headquarters for Emergency Situations, chaired by the Commander of the Headquarters and the Minister of the Interior, Bratislav Gašić, at today's first regular session in the new convocation, considered and reached conclusions regarding the accident in which ammonia tankers overturned on the Pirot-Nis railway.

Deceased driver from Turkey

According to unofficial information from Police Administration Pirot, the man who was found near the railway is a citizen of Turkey, the portal Pirot Plus Online reported.

As stated, it is assumed that he is the driver of the tow truck and that in his efforts to escape, he most likely fell from the bridge or suffocated next to the railway in an attempt to save himself.

Vujović: Water samples were taken from Nišava and the results are awaited

Minister of Environmental Protection, Irena Vujović, said today, on the occasion of the ammonia spill from the cistern between Pirot and Bela Palanka, that water samples were taken from Nišava this morning and that the first measurement results are awaited, but that there is no room for panic for now.

She told Tanjug that her ministry is actively involved in monitoring the situation, as if the Environmental Protection Inspectorate is on standby.

"The Ministry of Environmental Protection has been monitoring the situation since last night, since the unfortunate event took place, hour by hour. The environmental inspection is on standby, but at the moment we cannot do any work because the Ministry of the Interior and the Transport Inspection, which is in charge of control dangerous goods, are on the ground" Vujović said.

According to her, when the competent teams on the ground finish their part of the work, the Environmental Inspection will prescribe measures if there are any unwanted effects on the environment.

She emphasized that the Ministry hired the Bor Metallurgy Institute, which performs measurements, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency.

She adds that this morning, in cooperation with the Water Inspection, water samples were taken from Nišava and that the results of the measurements are being awaited.

"During the day, an automatic mobile station for air quality measurements will be installed there, so our stations do not measure the level of ammonia in the air, but we have just installed an analyzer that also performs that measurement, and that station will be installed during the day," Vujović said.

She emphasized that the first results are expected soon, and that there is no need to panic.

A tank wagon carrying ammonia overturned yesterday around 4:30 p.m. on the section of the Niš-Dimitrovgad highway, between Pirot and Stanicenje, outside the populated area.

It is a freight train that runs daily on this section, transporting raw materials from Bulgaria to Prahovo and Šabac.

The cargo composition had 20 tank wagons, which are owned by the company Elixir.