Romanian Minister of Energy Virgil Popescu said that the preliminary report on the tragedy at the Jilt Sud coalmine on 17 January, in which three people died, has been completed. In the light of the report, he requested the resignation of the CEO of Energy Complex (EC) Oltenia Daniel Burlan and the Member of the Board of Directors Marius Negru.
Previously, several members of the ruling PSD requested the resignation of the Minister of Energy, whom they accuse of incompetence, in the context of the accident.
Minister Popescu stressed that this is not a criminal investigation, but an administrative one. He said that endangering the lives of employees is unacceptable. Unfortunately, this happened at EC Oltenia and the use of machines with an age of over 40 years is inadmissible and their degree of wear is according to their operational life. From an administrative point of view, the Ministry will continue to expand the control regarding all purchases of equipment made by EC Oltenia for its coalmines.
Initial investigations showed that a vehicle fell approximately three meters while transporting workers as well as two metal acetylene tubes. Three people died and ten others were wounded. EC Oltenia CEO Daniel Burlan said that the vehicle involved in the accident was not certified for transporting people and that it was intended only for transporting goods. Director of EC Oltenia’s mining subsidiary Florentin Gheorghescu has already resigned from the position.
