Latest news with #NationalSaltCompany
eNCA
3 days ago
- Business
- eNCA
Severe floods threaten historic Romanian salt mine
Romanian authorities scrambled Friday to save a salt mine in the northern village of Praid from further damage after heavy rains worsened flooding at a site that provides the region's economic lifeblood. The floods in recent days have swollen a stream near the partially inundated salt mine, which has been shut down since 5 May. The mine is among the biggest tourist attractions in northern Romania, with almost half a million people visiting the site in 2024, and many locals have depended on tourism related to the mine for decades. "We have to save not just the salt mine there, but the entire community, with thousands of people in danger of not being able to put a loaf of bread on the table," Environment Minister Mircea Fechet told a local TV station Friday, saying "a real tragedy" was hitting the region. AFP | Alex NICODIM According to the National Salt Company, underground stockpiles of salt "have been compromised, including equipment and machinery that can no longer be recovered". Due to heavy rainfall in May, the Corund stream near the Praid mine recorded its highest flow rate in the last 30 years, official data this week showed. But there is no imminent risk of collapse at the mine, said Petres Sandor, an official in Harghita county where the mine is located, which is also home to the largest ethnic Hungarian population in Romania. "The biggest problem is to stop the possibility of water infiltration in order to start the underground work," he said. "A very big danger is related to the state of mind of the population. Unfortunately, it's a feeling of the end of the world," Sandor added, urging tourists not to cancel their reservations. Some locals protested in front of the mine's administrative headquarters on Thursday, voicing anger over preventive measures not having been taken in the past. Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed "financial and practical assistance for the assessment of the damages and reconstruction of the mine" in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Severe floods threaten historic Romanian salt mine
Severe floods threaten historic Romanian salt mine (Photo: AFP) Romanian authorities scrambled Friday to save a salt mine in the northern village of Praid from further damage after heavy rains worsened flooding at a site that provides the region's economic lifeblood. The floods in recent days have swollen a stream near the partially inundated salt mine, which has been shut down since 5 May. The mine is among the biggest tourist attractions in northern Romania, with almost half a million people visiting the site in 2024, and many locals have depended on tourism related to the mine for decades. "We have to save not just the salt mine there, but the entire community, with thousands of people in danger of not being able to put a loaf of bread on the table," environment minister Mircea Fechet told a local TV station Friday, saying "a real tragedy" was hitting the region. According to the National Salt Company, underground stockpiles of salt "have been compromised, including equipment and machinery that can no longer be recovered". Due to heavy rainfall in May, the Corund stream near the Praid mine recorded its highest flow rate in the last 30 years, official data this week showed. But there is no imminent risk of collapse at the mine, said Petres Sandor, an official in Harghita county where the mine is located, which is also home to the largest ethnic Hungarian population in Romania. "The biggest problem is to stop the possibility of water infiltration in order to start the underground work," he said. "A very big danger is related to the state of mind of the population. Unfortunately, it's a feeling of the end of the world," Sandor added, urging tourists not to cancel their reservations. Some locals protested in front of the mine's administrative headquarters on Thursday, voicing anger over preventive measures not having been taken in the past. Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed "financial and practical assistance for the assessment of the damages and reconstruction of the mine" in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Severe floods threaten historic Romanian salt mine
Romanian authorities scrambled Friday to save a salt mine in the northern village of Praid from further damage after heavy rains worsened flooding at a site that provides the region's economic lifeblood. The floods in recent days have swollen a stream near the partially inundated salt mine, which has been shut down since 5 May. The mine is among the biggest tourist attractions in northern Romania, with almost half a million people visiting the site in 2024, and many locals have depended on tourism related to the mine for decades. "We have to save not just the salt mine there, but the entire community, with thousands of people in danger of not being able to put a loaf of bread on the table," Environment Minister Mircea Fechet told a local TV station Friday, saying "a real tragedy" was hitting the region. According to the National Salt Company, underground stockpiles of salt "have been compromised, including equipment and machinery that can no longer be recovered". Due to heavy rainfall in May, the Corund stream near the Praid mine recorded its highest flow rate in the last 30 years, official data this week showed. But there is no imminent risk of collapse at the mine, said Petres Sandor, an official in Harghita county where the mine is located, which is also home to the largest ethnic Hungarian population in Romania. "The biggest problem is to stop the possibility of water infiltration in order to start the underground work," he said. "A very big danger is related to the state of mind of the population. Unfortunately, it's a feeling of the end of the world," Sandor added, urging tourists not to cancel their reservations. Some locals protested in front of the mine's administrative headquarters on Thursday, voicing anger over preventive measures not having been taken in the past. Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed "financial and practical assistance for the assessment of the damages and reconstruction of the mine" in a Facebook post on Wednesday. ani/kym/js
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Severe floods threaten historic Romanian salt mine
The floods in recent days have swollen a stream near the partially inundated salt mine, which has been shut down since 5 May. The mine is among the biggest tourist attractions in northern Romania, with almost half a million people visiting the site in 2024, and many locals have depended on tourism related to the mine for decades. "We have to save not just the salt mine there, but the entire community, with thousands of people in danger of not being able to put a loaf of bread on the table," Environment Minister Mircea Fechet told a local TV station Friday, saying "a real tragedy" was hitting the region. According to the National Salt Company, underground stockpiles of salt "have been compromised, including equipment and machinery that can no longer be recovered". Due to heavy rainfall in May, the Corund stream near the Praid mine recorded its highest flow rate in the last 30 years, official data this week showed. But there is no imminent risk of collapse at the mine, said Petres Sandor, an official in Harghita county where the mine is located, which is also home to the largest ethnic Hungarian population in Romania. "The biggest problem is to stop the possibility of water infiltration in order to start the underground work," he said. "A very big danger is related to the state of mind of the population. Unfortunately, it's a feeling of the end of the world," Sandor added, urging tourists not to cancel their reservations. Some locals protested in front of the mine's administrative headquarters on Thursday, voicing anger over preventive measures not having been taken in the past. Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed "financial and practical assistance for the assessment of the damages and reconstruction of the mine" in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Heavy Floods Threaten Romania's Praid Salt Mine, a Tourism Magnet
Severe floods in Romania are threatening to destroy the Praid salt mine, one of Europe's largest salt reserves which attracts half a million tourists each year with its spectacular galleries housing an adventure park and chapel carved in salt. Authorities have shut down the mine as the worst floods in 30 years in the central Romanian county of Harghita have swollen a nearby stream, further flooding part of the mine. The floods are threatening to destroy the livelihood of people in the town of Praid who have relied on tourism centered around the salt mine for decades, local authority officials said. "A problem with the salt mine can have catastrophic consequences for the entire region," said Csongor Zsombori, head accountant at the Praid branch of the state-controlled National Salt Company S.A. which partly owns the mine. While part of the mine has been producing salt, with an annual production capacity of around 70,000-100,000 metric tons, its huge galleries, which also house a medical center, receive tourists, including for medical treatment for respiratory diseases. Laszlo Nyagrus, mayor of Praid, said the miners have removed their equipment and machines and were working to preserve another part of the mine which has not been open to visitors so far. "They are trying to save this area, these galleries, by building so-called sluices and dams to protect it, so that at least this part ... will not be damaged," he said. "We need to look at what can be done very quickly in the tourism sector, what opportunities can be explored or should be explored, so that we can retain as many tourists as possible in Praid."
