At the building on Bauskas Street in Riga, which was damaged by a gas explosion, police presence has been intensified, and dissatisfied residents gathered the day before. Residents of the upper floors still cannot access their apartments, where documents and personal belongings remain. According to some victims, the temporary housing offered by the municipality is completely unsuitable for living with children. A meeting with representatives of the Riga City Council regarding further actions and support for the victims took place on Monday.
The house where the explosion occurred is surrounded by a metal fence, with a patrol on each side. Residents are outraged by the situation.
Police vehicles from both the State and Municipal police are on site — a crew from TV3 News was there during the change of guard.
Beyond the fence, crooked snowmen can be seen, which were built by children living in this house shortly before the explosion. Here, too, are residents expressing concern for themselves and especially for their children, who have suffered serious emotional trauma. According to them, the housing offered by the municipality is unsuitable for living with small children.
“Thank God, friends gave us an apartment. Because we were given a hotel in terrible condition — it’s impossible to live there. The mattresses are such that it looks like someone has vomited or urinated on them,” said resident Zumruda.
“We are one family, we have two small children. We were thrown out onto the street barefoot, without socks. The hostel that was offered to us is unsanitary, moldy, and lacks heating. If I were alone, I would live in my car. The children need to study, but their school backpacks and books were left inside,” said resident Elnur.
“We gathered here because we are not allowed on the fourth and fifth floors. And we need to get there — there are documents, our whole life. They still let us go from the first to the third floor, but then they stopped. No decision has been made,” added resident Valentin.
On the other side of the building, which was more seriously damaged by the explosion, a huge pile of concrete debris is visible. Police tape, a fence, a warning — dangerous zone. Residents of the opposite house recall the events of Friday.
“A piece of metal flew onto our roof, and plaster fell off in the house. The sound was such that it was hard to understand what was happening — neighbors said it was like a Shahed drone flew in,” said a resident of the opposite house.
At five o'clock in the evening, apartment owners in the building met with representatives of the Department of Housing and Environment of the Riga City Council to discuss further actions and assistance for the victims.
Residents have been promised crisis assistance: 780 euros per person or 1560 euros per family. Already, 50 applications have been received, which will be reviewed shortly.
The technical condition of the building will be assessed by experts — the municipality has promised to pay for this examination.
“It is necessary to develop a technical conclusion about the condition of the building. The department has taken on the preparation of documents so that such a service can be procured. The municipality will pay for it from its own funds,” explained the acting head of the Department of Housing and Environment of the Riga City Council, Dace Ziediņa.
“No one slept in the buses” — Mayor of Riga
Commenting on the criticism that has emerged in the public space regarding the placement of people in unsuitable conditions, the Mayor of Riga, Viesturs Kleinbergs, emphasized during the broadcast of the program “900 seconds” (TV3) that some of the information was inaccurate.
“No one slept in the buses. They were brought in so that people who ran out onto the street in just their shirts could warm up and have some hot tea,” he noted, adding that the situation developed under emergency conditions when many hotels were fully booked due to the holidays.
Currently, according to the mayor, the situation with accommodation has been resolved — no one is living in conditions of mold, without heating, and in unsanitary conditions. After the general meeting, more than 50 people submitted applications for crisis assistance, and seven applied for long-term temporary housing.
“The municipality will provide housing for six months or even a year if the restoration of the house takes longer,” noted Kleinbergs, emphasizing that assistance is due to both apartment owners and officially registered tenants.
As for the building itself, a technical conclusion is currently awaited.
“The building inspector conducted a visual inspection and concluded that it is unsafe to enter. A technical assessment of the structure has been ordered, which will show whether the building can be restored at all,” explained the mayor.
The first conclusion is expected in about a week, and the final decision within a month.
At the same time, the municipality promised to assess the organization of crisis management itself.
“There are a number of things that need improvement — for example, the accommodation of families with children, providing food for people without documents. We must take this experience into account to respond even better in similar situations in the future,” acknowledged Kleinbergs, adding that it is impossible to completely avoid such cases because “there is no cure for human stupidity.”
It should be noted that as a result of the tragedy, two people died — a pensioner who illegally manipulated a gas pipe in his apartment and an employee of the emergency service of the gas supply company Gaso, who arrived in response to a call about a possible gas leak.
Two others were injured. Before the arrival of rescuers, 35 people evacuated from the building on their own, and another 11 were evacuated by firefighters.
The building has 74 apartments, four of which belong to the municipality.
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