Yesterday, May 29th, the salt mine Praid (Harghita county) was flooded with 6 million cubic meters of water. This is the result of the faulty management of the mining company and the neglect of local authorities, since the mine has dealt with smaller scale floods throughout the years, and this could have been prevented.
After a month of heavy rains, the dam built on the river Corund collapsed, flooding both the mining and the touristic areas. The salt deposits were compromised, as well as the machinery left behind.
The Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests doesn't know yet how to slavage the mine, he's just saying that "he has hope". So far, authorities are waiting for the rains to stop and the river debit to go back to normal, to assess the damages and create a course of action. However, nobody knows how long it would take to drain the whole mine, and the long-term risk of the mine fully collapsing is high. Authorities are also trying to collaborate with the Hungarian government to help the local Hungarian communities.
Besides the nostalgia that many people have around the touristic side of this mine (me included), the local community is heavily dependent on the continuous salt mining and touristy. Protesters gathered at the mine to ask for answers and lay-offs. This is a grave tragedy, and a testament to the fact that Romania learned nothing about mining safety after Roșia Montană and Baia Mare.
News sources on the topic: 1, 2, 3
