The victims who died in the explosion that occurred on Friday in a block of flats in Rahova neighbourhood were all women, with two of them to be identified through DNA analysis, announced Deputy Director of the National Institute of Forensics, Chief Commissioner Alexandru Porosanu.

'The victim identification process has already begun, two of the bodies are women, in fact, all three are women, but two remain unidentified at this time. Their identification will be done using DNA. One of the victims was a 51-year-old woman who lived with her mother-in-law and husband, and the other was a 65-year-old woman who lived alone. The DNA identification is currently being carried out at the Institute of Forensics,' he explained during a press briefing.

Porosanu added that on Friday, forensic photographs were taken and evidence collected to help determine the cause of the explosion.

'The on-site investigation began yesterday, (...) as soon as rescue teams and representatives from the State Construction Inspectorate allowed access to the area. Work continued late into the night, during which judicial photographs were taken and evidence was collected to determine the causes of the deflagration. We still cannot access the area directly impacted by the explosion, it remains highly unstable. We are only able to conduct investigations in adjacent areas for now. We are waiting for experts to confirm when it is safe to access the core site. In the meantime, drone photography has been used,' he said.

Regarding the technical assessment, Porosanu said that the investigation involves the best experts in the country, including specialists from INSEMEX Petrosani, which specialises in explosions.

He also warned of the risk of collapse of the upper floors, particularly in the wing of the building most affected by the blast.

'That affected wing poses a very high risk. Based on discussions with experts from the State Construction Inspectorate, there is a significant risk of the upper floors collapsing,' Alexandru Porosanu said.

As for the seal on the gas meter, Porosanu said: 'When we arrived at the meter box, which is located outside the block, the seal was not present. We did not observe it, and we do not know its status prior to our arrival. This will be investigated. It is positioned on the exterior of the block and is easily accessible.' AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Roberto Stan; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)