Mihăileşti explosion

The Mihăileşti explosion occurred on the 24th of May 2004 in the village of Mihăileşti, Buzău County, Romania. A truck loaded with ammonium nitrate rolled over and caught fire, and one hour later exploded killing 18 people.

At 4:57 AM local time, a truck loaded with 20 tons of ammonium nitrate rolled over on the express road E85 connecting Bucharest with Moldavia. Soon after the accident, the truck caught fire, so the driver immediately called the emergency number. Two fire trucks arrived at the scene 20 minutes later and started putting out the fire. A TV crew also arrived and started filming for the news. Villagers gathered around the accident site.

At 5:47 AM, a small explosion took place in the cabin of the truck, followed 2 minutes later by a larger explosion, killing 7 firefighters, the tv crew, several villagers. and the truck driver, totaling 18 people. 13 others were injured.

Of the 18 killed, 2 people (the truck driver and one of the firefighters) had to be identified by means of DNA testing. The explosion left behind a 6,5 m deep crater, scattered human remains and debris over a several hundred meters radius and caused damage amounting to about 70,000 euros.

Following this event, the safety regulations regarding the transport of chemical substances were improved and ammonium nitrate was listed as dangerous chemical compound. The director of the Doljchim plant, which produced the ammonium nitrate, and the managers of the two companies involved in the transport of this substance without safety measures were found guilty of homicide by negligence, destruction of property and sentenced to 4 years in jail as well as the payment of compensations to the victims' families.

Coordinates: 44°54′47″N 26°41′15″E / 44.91306°N 26.6875°E / 44.91306; 26.6875