Due to an uncontrolled chemical reaction, a chemical leak occurred at the Baltic Container Terminal in Riga's Kundzinsala overnight; the chemical substance that leaked from a container may explode upon contact with the air, and residents in the areas near Kundzinsala are being evacuated from their homes, as representatives from the Riga City Council, State Fire and Rescue Service and the Freeport of Riga informed a press conference this morning.
Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs (Harmony Center) stressed that the evacuation of residents in an area from Kundzinsala to Kremeri is a preventive measure by the authorities that "erred on the side of caution", writesLETA.
Usakovs went on to say that the arrival of the Tallink ferry from Stockholm will get delayed today due to the current situation. The ferry will stop not at the Riga Passenger Port but Vecmilgravis, from where the tourists and other passengers will be taken to downtown Riga, added Deputy Mayor Ainars Slesers (Latvia's First Party/Latvia's Way).
The State Fire and Rescue Service Chief Ainars Pencis said that there is a technical problem with the container where the hazardous chemical substance – 20 tons altogether – is stored. Representatives from the company that owns the hazardous freight are being awaited now to help assess the situation and figure out how to transport the substance from the faulty container to another container.
According to Pencis, an explosion would affect an area of 300 meters in radius, whereas the nearest houses are located 500-600 meters from the scene. However, if an explosion occurs, it is unknown what will happen to other containers in the area.
Slesers pointed out that, luckily, the accident occurred in Kundzinsala, which is separated from most of the city by water. However, the accident has shown that security and safety procedures in Kundzinsala will have to be revised.
Usakovs went on to say that few people are actually being evacuated, and the Riga City Council hopes that they will be able to go home already in the evening.
Ship traffic in the Daugava River has been halted too, in the wake of the chemical leak at the Riga port, as Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs' (Harmony Center) press secretary Anna Kononova told LETA.
According to Kononova, bus traffic has also been altered because of the accident.
In a press conference earlier this morning, Riga City Council representatives said that taking water from the Daugava for drinking and swimming in the river is prohibited.