Interchurch Aid Supports Families of Praid Salt Mine Workers

The Hungarian Interchurch Aid is supporting the families of workers at the flooded salt mine in Praid (Parajd), Romania, with a targeted aid program and is coordinating with local leaders on site, the aid organization said in a statement on Sunday.

While millions of people in both Romania and Hungary are anxiously following the developments of the disaster that struck the famous Praid salt mine, the uncertain fate of the mine has become a matter of life and death for local families, pointed out the organization. Among them, the families most directly affected are those whose breadwinners worked in the mine. Helping them is one of the main objectives of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid’s solidarity campaign, for which they launched nationwide fundraising as the first Hungarian organization to do so, they wrote.

While the aid organization’s humanitarian team is carrying out a Hungarian aid campaign in flood-stricken Boroșneu Mare (Nagyborosnyó), the organization’s leaders—President László Lehel and Executive Director Kristóf Gáncs—are holding talks in Praid to figure out how to best support the families affected by the mining disaster. The organization’s delegation held personal talks with the government delegation that arrived at the site, as well as with the leaders of Harghita County and Mayor László Nyágrus, they said.

Based on the discussions, the aid organization intends to provide financial support to the approximately 130 people working in the mine and their families. The extent of the assistance will be determined in the coming days, depending on the results of detailed local surveys and fundraising. Lehel emphasized on site:

The Hungarian Interchurch Aid does not, of course, take on any state tasks from the Romanian state, but it is ready to transparently deliver the solidarity of Hungarian donors to families in need.”

“On site, we saw serious attention and efforts on the part of the Romanian state to help the region, but the situation is still uncertain, and families in need require all the help they can get. As part of our national appeal, we ask our donors to express their solidarity with the affected families through their support!” he added.

Since then, the Hungarian organization’s packages have arrived in flood-stricken Boroșneu Mare: two tons of cleaning supplies and nine water pumps, the organization announced on Monday. Over the past 72 hours, the aid organization’s staff have visited the affected houses in the flood-hit settlements and will distribute two tons of disinfectant and cleaning products in the coming days.

The aid organization has put together packages for 120 families affected by the floods to disinfect and clean their homes, and the nine water pumps are already in operation.

The salt mine in Praid is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Szeklerland, Romania, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year and providing a livelihood not only for the miners who work there, but also for the operators of hundreds of restaurants and hotels in the town and surrounding area.

Anyone who would like to contribute to the fundraising campaign can do so via this link.

Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Veres Nándor