A critical situation in the city of Slănic Prahova, where, on Thursday morning, a part of 23 August Street collapsed, right in front of the Police headquarters.
The asphalt literally started sliding downhill, creating a crater of 2 meters, over an area of over 60 square meters.
The collapse of the road also led to the displacement of the pavement on the sidewalk.
The area has been isolated, the power supply has been interrupted, and the evacuation of people in the vicinity or in the affected area has been ordered.
20 people living in the buildings near the area have been evacuated. Depending on the situation's evolution and the analyses conducted by specialists, other measures will be taken, according to the officials of the Prahova Prefecture.
”As the asphalt on 23 August Street in Slănic city, in front of the Slănic city Police Headquarters, collapsed, the affected area is closed to traffic with restrictions imposed. Thus, the street in question has been closed, requiring detours," also stated the Prahova County Police.
The cause of the collapse is unknown, but media sources attribute the street collapse to the salt deposit beneath the entire city.
Locals mention that the water from Baia Baciului and Baia Roșie literally entered the ground, as reported by local media.
"We can't determine the affected area, we don't know what's underneath. From what we see, there seems to have been a cavern. Traffic has been stopped on 23 August Street, we are awaiting the intervention of the competent authorities. The collapse continues, expands, new cracks appear," said Mayor Costea Daneluș, to Telegrama.
"We must consider that salt has been extracted in Slănic for 2000 years, and we only know what has happened in the last 200 years. We still cannot determine if we need to relocate families from the affected area. Regarding the water from Baia Baciului, the water level has decreased over time, and we are monitoring the phenomenon," added the mayor, as cited by Prahova Info.
At the end of last year, cracks appeared in the ground in another area of the city, affecting several households and houses.