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Environmental emergency in Czech Republic due to benzene contamination near Poland

28.03.2025 16:55
The Czech government is calling it the largest contamination of its kind in the world, involving benzene, a toxic, carcinogenic substance used in plastics, dyes, detergents, and pesticides.
A state of emergency has been declared in the Olomouc region of the Czech Republic, near Poland, due to dangerous benzene contamination from a train derailment and tanker accident, threatening local water sources, ecosystems, and the Beva River.
A state of emergency has been declared in the Olomouc region of the Czech Republic, near Poland, due to dangerous benzene contamination from a train derailment and tanker accident, threatening local water sources, ecosystems, and the Bečva River. Source: Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic

Authorities in the Olomouc region of the Czech Republic, about 100 km southeast of Poland, declared a state of emergency due to environmental contamination from a benzene spill caused by a train derailment a month ago, which is threatening local water sources and ecosystems.

IAR, the news agency of Poland's national broadcaster Polish Radio, reported alarming news about benzene contamination in wells near a summer house area. Environmental inspectors have determined that the hazardous substance is spreading toward the Bečva River, with rising benzene levels in a nearby retention reservoir.

Authorities declared a state of emergency to speed up the removal of contaminated water and soil, with up to 350 tons of chemicals potentially involved. The train derailment, which led to the benzene leak and massive fire, was caused by excessive speed as the train approached a switch.

Toxic benzene contaminates lake in Hustopeče nad Bečvou, Czech Republic

According to Události Ostrava, a local news outlet covering the Ostrava region and surrounding areas, toxic benzene has contaminated an entire lake following a tanker truck accident in Hustopeče nad Bečvou, located about 100 km southwest of the Polish border.

As a result, there is an urgent need to accelerate the construction of protective barriers. So far, no mass fish kills have been reported, according to Stanislav Pernický, the head of the Hustopeče fishing organization.

State of emergency considered near the Polish border in the Czech Republic

On Wednesday, Události Ostrava reported that according to the crisis staff of the Ministry of Environment, the governor of the Olomouc region should declare a state of emergency due to the benzene tanker accident in Hustopeče nad Bečvou.

The situation remains serious, with the risk of contamination of the Bečva River still present, Czech journalists noted.

(m p)

Source: IAR/PR24/hzscr.gov.cz/X/@UdalostiOstrava