B-FAST provides assistance to Romanian emergency responders

On the night of 26-27 August, a major gas explosion occurred near the Romanian capital Bucharest at a petrol station. This killed at least one person and seriously injured dozens of Romanian emergency workers. Romania immediately requested assistance from other European countries through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

Belgium, through B-FAST, offered to care for 2 aid workers with severe burns in Belgium. Meanwhile, the two aid workers were transferred to Belgium by a Romanian plane and admitted to the Burns Centre of Belgian Defence in Neder-over-Heembeek.

B-FAST is the Federal Government structure activated when providing emergency assistance abroad and consists of the FPS Home Affairs, the FPS Policy and Support (BOSA), the FPS Public Health, Defence, and the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.