First convoy with munition from damaged depot sets off to Květná

The first convoy transporting munition from a damaged munitions depot in Vrbětice to another storage site in Květná in the Svitavy area, some 178 km away, departed on Saturday at around noon. The convoy of five lorries, escorted by the police, is carrying propellant belonging to a private company Bochemie. The original depot was damaged by a massive explosion last October, which killed two people and led to dozens of uncontrolled blasts in the weeks to follow. According to the Interior Ministry, there were some 7,000 tonnes of ammunition at the site at the time of the blast. The ministry expects it will take between 350 to 400 lorries to remove all the material. Interior Minister Milan Chovanec and Finance Minister Andrej Babiš visited the site on Saturday.

Author: Ruth Fraňková