Newspaper: Blanka Tunnel collapse may have been prevented through better monitoring

The daily Hospdářské noviny has reported that the partial collapse of Prague’s Blanka Tunnel in July could have been prevented if data from a monitoring system had been properly assessed and interpreted. Citing unnamed sources possessing information from the monitoring system, the paper said that the data clearly showed that there were serious problems with stability in the area of the collapse a week beforehand. The company responsible for monitoring at the site, Inset, says that while deformations in the rock were recorded in one measurement, others showed no reason for concern. The Czech Mining Office, which is investigating the incident, says it cannot comment on the allegation but has all of the necessary data available. The July collapse was the third since 2008. One worker was buried for six hours but was not injured.