The number of dead after two explosions rocked a fueling station in a suburb of Bucharest increased to two, with 57 injured, as questions arose about why the station was operating despite the withdrawal of safety permits.
Among the injured, many of whom suffered severe burns, were 39 firefighters and four police officers, said the head of the emergency department, Raed Arafat.
Seven burn patients have been transferred to other European Union countries for treatment, he added. A military transport plane with two patients on board arrived in Milan, Italy.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis wrote on Facebook that he was “profoundly saddened” by the explosions, which he described as a “tragedy.”
Arafat said the station, which sold liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for household appliances and some vehicles, had been operating without a license in Crevedia, a town about 20 kilometers northeast of Bucharest.
Crevedia Mayor Florin Petre told PROTV that the station had been closed down in 2020.
As of October 14, 2020, following a notification from the operator, the environmental permit was canceled and the owners no longer requested a renewal. The LPG station was left without an environmental permit after it was closed, according to the National Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPM).
"The former LPG station, which caused yesterday evening's disaster...should no longer have been operating," the ANPM said in a news release.
The building is owned by a company called SC Flagas, which is controlled by Ionut Doldurea, the son of the mayor of Caracal, a city about 75 kilometers west of the capital.
The first explosion touched off a massive fire, while a second explosion came later as rescue workers were battling the blaze.
A third tank full of LPG is reportedly still at the site. Although the blaze was extinguished overnight, firefighters continue to work at the site. More than 3,000 people were evacuated from the area.
It is not clear what caused the initial explosion but an investigation has been opened, which could include the possibility of a manslaughter charge being filed.
There has been widespread public anger amid allegations of corruption and insufficient public oversight to ensure compliance with safety regulations.
In 2015, 64 people were killed in a blaze at a Bucharest nightclub caused by a fireworks display.