A powerful explosion that occurred on Thursday morning at the construction site of the A7 “Moldova” motorway, in the district of Kelimeneşti – an accident that killed four people and injured five others – reveals a number of possible violations related to the method chosen the UMB builder to work on the construction site, and because of how the authorities controlled the project and did not interfere, although apparently not all legal steps were followed.

HotNews.ro makes a short list of the most important information related to the accident on the A7 to outline the picture of the situation as it looks at the moment:

• UMB, the most successful highway builder in Romania, known for the vigilant speed with which it develops on construction sites, works on no less than 250 kilometers of the A7 “Moldova” highway. Of the 13 contract lots, from Ploiesti (Dumbrava/A3) to Pascan, UMB and its companies (Tehnostrade and SA&Pe) are working on 10 of them. He has been working on Focşani – Bacău since March 2023, and has even worked three shifts, including night shifts, on some sections.
• On the night of September 20-21, a strong explosion occurred at the A7 construction site near Kelimeneşti after a gas pipeline exploded. According to the information that has appeared so far, the explosion occurred during the construction work. Four people died on the spot, five more were injured and burned.
• The first information and reaction came from the prefect of Vranc, who said that The pipeline would be closer to the surface than should have been in the documents, that is, it would have been 1 meter, not 1.8 meters.
• Gas carrier Transgaz publicly accuses the developer of non-compliance certificate of location, that he had no right to work at all on the section of the gas network that crosses the main line, and that he did not have a permit from CTE Transgaz to carry out pipeline transfer/diversion work.
• In the documents that HotNews.ro got acquainted with, it is clearly written that in the area of ​​the gas pipeline, on an area of ​​20 m, on one side and on the other side, road works will be started only after CTE Transgaz approves the operations of moving gas pipelines.
• The Highways Agency responded at midday on Thursday, saying that according to information at the time, “CONTRACTOR “UMB Forwarding” does not carry out work on the transfer of gas networks, but only work on improvement the foundation of the road bodyHowever, CNAIR did not say why UMB was working in the pipeline area if they were not moved.
• CNAIR details the approvals obtained from Transgaz that are required for the construction permit, but operations to relocate gas services require other approvals that have not yet been granted.
• CNAIR also says this supervision of the construction site – inspectors – was carried out by employees of the DRDP of Iași, that is, of the entire Romanian state, and not by a private consultant.
• In the entire informational landscape of Thursday, even the voice of the main character – the builder of UMB – is missing. Company Until now, UMB has not reported anything at all.
• In light of the public information provided by CNAIR and Transgaz, HotNews.ro has asked the UMB company’s point of view and asked a number of questions related to the works performed, and will publish the answers as soon as they are received.

After everything that became known on Thursday, after the explosion, questions arise that both builders and road workers have to answer:

• 1. Why did the builder work near the gas network? which crossed the highway, although the pipes were not transferred – the transfer was not even agreed?
• 2. Why did CNAIR, through DRDP Iași, which monitored the works, allow the developer UMB to work so close to the gas mains sections, even though he knew they had not been relocated and the notice received from Transgaz prohibited any work until the relocation/diversion?
• 3. If in this case such information as that gas pipeline was closer to the surface than it should have been – 1 meter against 1.8 meters – then how did it happen?
• 4. Did the developer know the exact location of the gas pipe or not? Unconfirmed rumors circulating in the public space on Thursday suggested that the builder actually knew the pipeline was supposed to be several meters away from where it actually was.

Drone video of the explosion site – the pipe that exploded can be seen in the video on the left, at the edge of the highway corridor where the UMB crews were working:

• The developer UMB was unable to carry out any work on the sections of the Moldova highway where gas pipelines were not diverted – Transgaz DOCUMENTS

• JSC “Avtodorig”: “The UMB contractor did not work on the transfer of the gas network” / What TsNAIR says about the notification

MAP – Motorway A7, in sections – All sections from Ploiești/Dumbrava (A3) to Pascani are subject to contract, except for the section from Pietroasele to Buzău.

• Out of 13 plots, 10 are under contract with UMB, from Buzau to Pashkan.