The Government has offered 99,130 ​​lei in food expenses for the people who lost their homes after a block of flats collapsed in Otaci town in June.

Prime Minister Maia Sandu told a press conference today that an expert committee is working in Otaci to determine the cost of the apartments in the collapsed building. “In the meantime, prices have increased on the market. Someone is trying to take advantage of people’s misfortune and increase the prices on information that the government will compensate for costs,” said Maia Sandu.

The prime minister said that a two-room apartment is roughly 212,000 lei and a three-room apartment is 277,000 lei. Maia Sandu also noted that the specialists from the Technical University of Moldova who evaluate the building nearby still need 15 days more to give a full assessment.

Maia Sandu said that the authorities responsible for verifying buildings didn’t do their job, as the  Otaci blocks had been inhabited since 1990 even before a formal permit was issued. “Other blocks will be checked, too, on my instructions. Poor management can lead to such dramas,” said Maia Sandu.

The Prime Minister added that such tragedies also have an impact on the environment and if it’s decided to demolish the second block, solutions will be sought to make sure that the debris is disposed of in such a way that the environment is not affected.

At its latest meeting, the Government’s Emergencies Commission also decided to allocate 389,817 lei to cover the costs of strengthening a flood barrier near Crocmaz village, Ştefan Vodă district, and a further amount of 5,031,000 lei was allocated for disaster relief costs in Basarabeasca district.