An emergency has been announced in the country of Olomouk, Czech Republic, in connection with the disaster of trains transporting toxic benzene. Authorities have warned that the situation is getting worse as hazardous substances begin to penetrate the water. The losses are estimated at millions of Czech crowns.
At the end of February, the train transporting benzoles derailed and was subsequently lit in the Czech town of Vstopeche, near Bruna and Olopuk. Fire broke out and dangerous substances spilled – benzene.
Local authorities still suffer from the effects of the disaster and introduced an emergency in the region of Olomouk on Friday. Thanks to this, works related to the removal of contaminated water and soil can be executed faster.
Benzene flooded Czech towns. “The world’s biggest disaster”
Czech Minister of the Environment Petr Hladík spoke about the need to introduce exceptional conditions. He emphasized that the situation at the accident site has deteriorated and that he must act within hours rather than days, weeks or months.
– Removing the effects of disasters last summer, this is the biggest disaster of this type in the world – he evaluated.
See: Railway Disasters in the Czech Republic. Harmful chemicals are burning
Previously, environmental protection inspectors reported that hazardous chemicals were heading towards the Betswa River. The concentration of benzene in nearby holding reservoirs is also constantly growing.
A special level of fire alarm has been declared in the Oromuk area near Hustopečenadbečvou. Burn five railway wagons with benzole. pic.twitter.com/8wojqe4vn5
– Czech Republic Fire Force (@hasici_cr) February 28, 2025
Construction of barriers is underway to limit the penetration of toxins into the ground. Currently, it is about 150 meters long, but it must extend to 210 meters to ensure the entire area of importance.
Hustopeče’s benzeneleek. Losses calculated in millions
Eliminating the effects of a disaster creates enormous costs. Voivode of Olomouc Ladislav Olaštěka managed the guarantee that it would cover costs significantly exceed the local government’s budget.
See: Ecological disasters in Mauritius. Hundreds of tons of oil leaked
– The destruction of Hustopeča is estimated to be 765 million crowns, and we are confident that if we damage railway tracks and wagons, the damage will certainly reach 1 billion crowns.
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