All newspapers read on Monday about two consecutive explosions in the Romanian coal mine Petrila. Elsewhere in the news, a European health index places Romania's health system among the last in Europe.
All newspapers read on Monday about the tragedy in one of Romania's coal mines in Petrila on Saturday where 12 people died and 14 were injured, of which six were in a critical condition. Gandul informs that the tragedy became a golden mine for politicians as parliamentary elections are imminent.
President Traian Basescu rushed to the scene of the accident while PM Tariceanu publicly urged Labor, Economy and Interior ministers to treat the situation seriously and investigate the situation further.
However, President Basescu was the first to get there while several Democrat Liberal candidates for the region joined. On Sunday, Basescu visited the injured early in the morning while PM Tariceanu got there late in the afternoon.
Local miners accused serious irregularities, after the tragedy occurred on Saturday and declared that several times, they descended into the mine in extremely dangerous conditions because they were threatened they would lose their jobs otherwise.
Miners' security representative Petru Dragoescu admitted that everybody knew about the dangerous situation of the miners in Petrila but he added that the people were sent down because they had to work and do their jobs. He declared that their job always implies such risks.
After a second explosion took place, four other rescue personnel were killed. Prosecutors started an investigation to determine the exact events that lead to the incident.
Romania libera reads that mine representatives failed to respond to the crisis in a professional manner: people outside, many of whom were relatives of those caught in the explosions were
