Translated material
Communal detective
Investigators are looking for clues to the explosion in Krasnogorsk in sewer wells
In Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, emergency work continued all day yesterday at the site of a powerful explosion, which on the morning of September 16 completely destroyed the building of sewerage and pumping station (SPS) No. 1. As a result of the emergency, three people were killed and seven more were injured. Three of them remained in hospital in serious condition yesterday. However, the main result of the explosion was the complete paralysis of the water supply and sewerage systems of almost the entire Krasnogorsk region. More than 250 thousand inhabitants were left without these benefits of civilization. Yesterday, emergency crews cleared the destroyed KNS building from rubble and began inspecting equipment for replacement or possible repairs. At the same time, the authorities of the Moscow region firmly stated that the consequences of the emergency will be completely eliminated within the next three days. In total, more than 600 employees of Mosvodokanal, JSC Elektroseti, several construction companies and members of the engineering brigade of the Ministry of Defense were involved in emergency work yesterday.Meanwhile, the criminal case, initially initiated by the prosecutor's office of Krasnogorsk, was taken over by the prosecutor's office of the Moscow region yesterday. Investigators have already decided on two main versions of the causes of the emergency - improper operation of the equipment of the pumping station itself and the discharge of a flammable substance into the sewer system by one of the local enterprises.
Yesterday, water supply to the Krasnogorsk region and adjacent settlements was partially restored, although for now under a reserve scheme. Repairers installed three new pumps and laid several hundred meters of pipes. Yesterday water was supplied to residential areas three times a day and for only an hour. True, in some microdistricts and villages this was not the case. And where there was water, it did not rise above the 3rd or 4th floor. According to experts, they could not ensure normal installation in the pipes in order to avoid breaking the temporary joints.
As a result, tanker trucks remained the main “well” for many residents of the area. They also provided social facilities. More than 30 tank trucks were sent to Krasnogorsk alone yesterday. The sewage system also worked in Krasnogorsk yesterday under the backup scheme. Sewage drains were temporarily connected to the main pipes. The system will function in this form until new equipment is installed. If at least three of the six pumps buried under the ruins of the building are in working order, it will be possible to restore the operation of the water supply and sewerage systems, according to repairmen, within one or two days.
In the meantime, the authorities of the Moscow region have ordered the provision of free drinking bottled water to disabled people, single pensioners and war veterans living in the Krasnogorsk and Istra districts. The authorities even promised to ensure it was delivered to your home.
Initially, a criminal case under the Criminal Code article on “violation of safety rules during mining, construction or other work” in connection with the explosion at the pumping station was opened by the Krasnogorsk prosecutor’s office. Yesterday it was transferred to the department for investigating particularly important cases, murders and banditry of the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office. Already yesterday, investigators announced two main versions of the emergency - improper operation of the pumping station equipment and unauthorized discharge of flammable liquids into the sewer system. There is an assumption that one of the enterprises in Krasnogorsk dumped a large amount of acetone into the drain, the vapors of which destroyed the building. This version was voiced yesterday after the meeting by one of the members of the operational headquarters working on the spot.
“Most likely this liquid was a mixture of highly explosive substances - either acetone and its components, or benzene mixtures, possibly solvents,” said one of the experts. However, the prosecutor's office has so far refused to confirm this information. “Experts are now checking all sewer wells in the district and taking samples not only in the area of the station, but also near all enterprises in the city. However, there is no data yet on the presence of acetone in them,” the prosecutor’s office said yesterday.
The surviving station worker, mechanic Vladimir Rotar, who was in close proximity to the epicenter of the explosion, does not indicate the presence of a characteristic smell. Investigators have already interrogated him, but for now they prefer to remain silent about the conclusions drawn after the interrogation.