Although it has been four years since an ammunition dump at the Vojenský Opravárenský Podnik (Military Maintenance Company (VOP)) in Nováky (Trenčín Region) exploded, killing eight people, those responsible still haven't been punished, said Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko during a commemorative ceremony at the memorial to the victims of the blast in Nováky on Tuesday, March 1.
According to Galko, four years is a too short a time to forget about the tragic events at VOP. "Eight people died here, including five women. I believe that Slovakia enjoys the rule of law and those responsible will be punished," he said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Galko said that safety measures introduced at the VOP since the explosion took place have been good enough, and that safety has certainly improved since the incident.
The blast, which took place on March 2, 2007, at the VOP's facility for the disposal of obsolete ammunition, destroyed almost the entire facility. In mid-2007 a police investigator accused four members of the VOP management and a safety technician of posing a threat to general safety. Charges were later brought against the five men, with each of them facing up to ten years in prison.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
2. Mar 2011 at 10:00
