The construction of the Šibenik tunnel was restored only few hours after the explosion at the site killed one worker and injured five others on August 12. National Highway Company (NDS) spokesman Marcel Jánošík said that the District Mining Authority in Spišská Nová Ves allowed the work to restart shortly after 15:00, the TASR newswire reported.
Jánošík said that the workers had to remove all remains of the explosives from the tunnel tube, as well as the material from blasting, and then continued the planned work, as reported by TASR.
NDS officials said that the explosion did not affect the work at other construction sites which continued according to plan and without interruption.
While government officials have not said anything about compensations of the victims and their families, Miloš Farkaš from Eurovia SK confirmed to the public broadcaster Slovak Radio (SRo) that compensation is forthcoming.
Meanwhile, AGEL group spokeswoman Hana Szotkowská said that the health of one of the workers hospitalised in Levoča has stabilised and is gradually improving. She added that the patient will have to undergo another surgery, but in another hospital which she did not specify, as reported by TASR.
The man with a head and brain injury, hospitalised in Košice, spent a night in artificial sleep. His condition is still serious, SRo reported.
The three additional injured men are recovering without serious complications, the Sme daily wrote.
The explosion occurred in morning hours of August 12. The police’s preliminary conclusion is that that there were two planned blasts, during which not all explosives blew up. When the explosives manager, 39-year-old Rastislav Mihálik, and his colleagues went to check the site, the uncontrolled explosion occurred, causing a landslide, Sme wrote.
Source: TASR, SRo, Sme
For more information about this story please see: Kaliňák: Construction worker died in tunnel due to uncontrolled blast
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
14. Aug 2013 at 10:00
