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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Measures to be taken regarding accident on Pirot-Nis railway

Belgrade, 26 December 2022

The Ministry of the Interior announced that the Republic Staff for Emergency Situations at its first regular session in the new convocation held today reached conclusions regarding the accident in which ammonia tankers overturned on the Pirot-Nis railway.

The press release states that at the meeting chaired by the Commander of the Staff and Minister of the Interior Bratislav Gasic, Acting Assistant Minister and Head of the Department for Emergency Situations Luka Causic pointed out that the measurements carried out this morning showed zero ppm in several places in Pirot and Bela Palanka, as well as that the source of the Medijana water towards Nis is not contaminated with ammonia.

Causic emphasised that the information that one wagon fell into River Nisava is incorrect, citing the information that four wagons slipped off the rails and that an ammonia leak from one wagon was found.

He pointed out that there are still 57 firefighters with 22 special vehicles and drones on the ground, as well as 25 members of the Police Department in Pirot.

Members of the Ministry of the Interior immediately responded to the scene, where the traffic police immediately closed a section of the highway, and fire and rescue units intervened to evacuate people in the contaminated area.

According to him, members of the police in Pirot took all the measures and actions within their competence, and 56 people were transferred from the contaminated area to hospital centres in Nis and Pirot.

The Republic Staff for Emergency Situations issued a conclusion ordering the Institute for Public Health "Dr. Milan Jovanovic Batut" to perform air quality control in the area of Nis, Pirot and Bela Palanka, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Institute for Public Health of Nis and Pirot.

Also, it was ordered to make a control of drinking water in these cities, water in watercourses located near and downstream from the accident site, as well as constant monitoring of the situation and to take necessary measures in the area affected by the accident from the aspect of endangering people's health.