Romanian authorities have decided on Tuesday morning, November 18, to allow residents of Ceatalchioi to return to their homes. The LPG tanker, which caught fire on the Ukrainian side following an attack by a Russian drone near the river border with Romania, continues to burn, but the tanks have been cooled, and the risk of an emergency has been reduced.
Officials emphasized that there was no immediate danger from the fire. Romanian officials, however, said the fire prompted an immediate assessment by emergency services due to the proximity to Romanian territory.
“Given the proximity to Romanian territory and the nature of the cargo, the authorities have carried out an initial assessment of the situation” and decided to “preventively evacuate people and animals in the vicinity, a measure maintained until any risk for the population is eliminated,” Romania’s General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) said on Monday, Nov. 17.
On Tuesday, the IGSU said the immediate danger near Ceatalchioi had been removed and residents were allowed to return, while some restrictions remained in place around Plauru.
“The forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are supporting the evacuated people and will provide assistance so that the 231 residents of Ceatalchioi can return safely to their homes by offering transportation and personnel to help the elderly and those with special needs,” the IGSU said.
Photo credit: Romania’s General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU)
An initial update reported that 15 residents of Plauru had been moved to Ceatalchioi, and as the situation evolved the IGSU expanded the evacuation to both Plauru and Ceatalchioi.
“So far, 15 people have been evacuated from the village of Plauru and will be transported to Ceatalchioi, where local authorities have prepared accommodation facilities for them,” IGSU said on Monday morning.
The Romanian Ministry of National Defence said on Monday that the Russian Federation’s forces attacked areas in Ukraine located in the vicinity of the river border with Romania on the night of Sunday, November 16th, to Monday, November 17th.
The ministry noted that its radar monitoring and surveillance systems detected and tracked targets that evolved in the Ukrainian airspace, in the proximity of Tulcea County.
MoND notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, with regard to the establishment of alert measures for the population in the north of the county (Izmail area). A RO-Alert message was sent at 02.30.
The ministry noted, however, that no unauthorized entry into Romania’s airspace was recorded.
“The Ministry of National Defence forces will conduct today inspections in the areas where risks may arise as a result of last night’s events. Allied structures are also being informed in real time about the situations along the border with Ukraine,” reads the press release.
The Romanian ministry also condemned the Russian strikes, calling them unjustified attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and a serious violation of international law.
