112 director under fire after couple found dead in snowed-in car
Moldova PM Dorin Recean has called for the resignation of the director of the 112 emergency services, Liviu Oboroc, after two people were found dead in a car that had skidded off the road and become snowed in the Cahul district.
Recean said that 112 had not taken any concrete action to prevent the tragedy.
"The state must ensure that it can save people, even when they neglect their own safety," Recean said. "112 is only concerned with passing on information, instead of taking the case and following it through, making sure the problem is solved, making sure things are completed, it simply passes on the information."
Oboroc has not yet commented on Recean's request.
The General Police Inspectorate has also opened an investigation into the case of the two spouses, who were found dead in the snowed-in car near the village of Coscalia, Cahul district, said Interior Minister Adrian Efros.
According to Efros, rescuers arrived at the scene 17 hours after the first call.
"We have started internal investigations, but the criminal case has been opened by the Prosecutor's Office and the Cahul Police Inspectorate. During the investigations, it will be established whether it corresponds to the protocols that 112 holds. 112, at the initiative of the Government, will be transferred from the Ministry of Economy to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to establish concrete protocols and change these procedures so that we have very clear interoperability," Efros said.
Efros also announced that the General Prosecutor's Office has also opened a criminal case in this case.
According to him, the two spouses called 112 for the first time on Sunday, around 3:00 PM. The couple informed the operators that they had become stuck in the snow and could not continue their journey by car. The driver also said that they could not walk on foot because the wife was feeling unwell and needed medical assistance. Rescuers arrived at the couple only on Monday morning.
In the period from 26 to 28 November, MAI employees unblocked over 600 vehicles from the snow, in which more than 1,500 people were found.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
