Olomouc Region governor declares state of emergency due to tanker accident

From midday on Friday, a state of emergency is in force in the vicinity of Hustopeče nad Bečvou in the Přerov area, having been declared by the Olomouc Region's governor Ladislav Okleštěk, due to the spread of toxic benzene after February’s tanker accident. The state of emergency will allow for faster remediation of contaminated soil and water. The regulation is valid until April 27th. The declaration of a state of emergency was unanimously supported on Friday by the regional security council.

The crisis staff of the Ministry of the Environment on Wednesday recommended that the governor declare this measure. With a valid state of emergency, the regional leadership gains special powers; for example, it can immediately carry out construction work and landscape management if it is necessary to mitigate or avert the threat. The damage caused by the derailment and fire of the benzene tankers is estimated to be around a billion crowns.