Gazprom says safety violations during repairs to blame for Austrian gas hub explosion
MOSCOW. Dec 14 (Interfax) - Safety violations during repair work were the reason for the explosion at the compressor plant at the Baumgarten gas hub in Austria earlier this week, Gazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said.
"The consequences of the explosion have been remedied, transit has been restored. Violations of safety rules during work led to such consequences. Human lives cannot be brought back, but transit has been restored," Medvedev told reporters.
On Wednesday evening the gas transport company Gas Connect Austria reported its preliminary conclusions of its investigation into the incident. The accident was possibly caused by the recent installation of a filter separator roof. The initial version over the course of the day was confirmed. The investigators believe that the problem was connected with the installation of a filter separator roof. The roof collapsed and hit other construction hard causing it to break. The gas leaked out and caught fire.