On the morning of September 10, powerful explosions rocked the suburbs of Vilnius: railway cars loaded with liquefied petroleum gas caught fire. The flames caused a detonation, and plumes of smoke were visible over the entire city. According to rescuers, one person was injured. This is stated in the Associated Press material, writes UNN.
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Due to toxic smoke, residents of nearby areas are asked to close windows and not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. Fire departments worked at the scene for several hours to localize the flames.
The fire was most likely caused by a violation of occupational safety conditions, but all versions are being investigated
At the same time, according to him, "all possible causes will be thoroughly checked," but there is currently no reason to consider the incident intentional arson or sabotage.
According to the police, the tanks belonged to the Polish energy company Orlen. They were transporting gas from the refinery of the company's Lithuanian subsidiary to the Baltoji Vokė LPG terminal near Vilnius. The company confirmed that a contracting organization was involved in the transportation, and the terminal itself is not owned by Orlen. The company is currently cooperating with the authorities to establish the causes of the explosion.
The incident became one of the largest man-made incidents in the Lithuanian capital in recent years and caused serious concern about the safety of transporting dangerous goods by rail.