A powerful explosion occurred on Wednesday, January 14, at the Traffic Police headquarters in Lugoj, western Romania. The blast left three officers injured, and two of them were transported to the hospital with burns.

The explosion occurred around 8:15 AM in an annex located in the yard of the Lugoj Traffic Police headquarters. The deflagration was not followed by a fire but caused injuries to three people, according to Digi24.

Among the injured is a 37-year-old man, an employee of the Criminal Records and Operational Evidence Office, who suffered burns and was taken to the hospital. Another officer, a 41-year-old man working at the Traffic Criminal Investigations Office, went to the hospital for medical care but was later discharged. Finally, a 42-year-old man, an employee of the Traffic Police, suffered a panic attack and minor burns and received medical attention on-site.

The deflagration also caused damage to the building and to nearby properties.

Teams from the Banat Emergency Situations Inspectorate are conducting inspections at the scene. Representatives from the gas company are also present alongside firefighters to determine the cause of the explosion.

The police Europol Union reacted after the explosion, accusing the Romanian Police leadership and county inspectorates of consistently neglecting the refurbishment and renovation of headquarters, News.ro reported.

In the same statement, the union also criticized the leadership of the Timiș County Police Inspectorate, alleging double standards in applying disciplinary sanctions. Europol claims that the head of IPJ Timiș allegedly used institutional resources for personal purposes without being disciplined.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: screenshot from Buletin de Timisoara's video on Facebook)