The local government in Elbląg has prepared more than 400 places to receive potential refugees from Ukraine.

Schools in the district would be used for accommodation if needed, and meals and medical assistance would also be offered.

It’s part of country-wide contingency planning for a possible conflict in Ukraine.

Deputy foreign minister Marcin Przydacz told Radio Plus that Poland hopes the situation in Ukraine won’t escalate, but it has been making plans for weeks in case it comes to that.

Local officials have been asked to draw up reports of what facilities they could make available in the case of a large number of refugees.

A spokesperson for the Elbląg president said that they will continue to search for other municipal buildings that could house more people.

Source: radiogdansk.pl, AP

Rescuers are searching for two employees missing after an explosion at an explosives factory in Silesia.

The blast at the plant in Krupski Młyn happened late afternoon yesterday and could be heard for miles around.

At the time of the explosion workers were mixing 800kg of nitroglycerin.

A building was destroyed and thirty firefighters worked to contain outbreaks of fire.

Two employees failed to turn up at the assembly point after the incident, and search dogs trained in finding people were brought in.

The site is the largest explosives plant in Poland—its owner, Nitroerg, part of the KGHM Group, has had previous fatal accidents at its facilities.

Source: PAP

Minister of state assets Jacek Sasin has taken part in a ceremony in Washington to mark the signing of contracts to build six nuclear reactors in Poland.

The so-called small nuclear reactors, or SMRs, will be built in cooperation between KGHM group and the US company NuScale.

The first is expected to start operating in the next seven or eight years.

Minister Sasin said that three SMRs could replace one coal-fired power plant generating one gigawatt of electricity.

He added that the country’s main task in energy transformation is to build an energy sector based on emission-free sources.

Sasin pointed out that another Polish energy company, PKN Orlen, also chose an American partner, GE Hitachi, in its programme to develop small reactors.

Source: polskieradio24.pl

Police in Częstochowa are appealing for help in tracing a 45-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter who have been missing since last Thursday.

Aleksandra Wieczorek and her daughter Oliwia left their home with their dog on Thursday evening and haven’t been seen since.

Police would like to hear from anyone who saw their car being driven earlier the same day.

The Ford Focus remained parked outside their home address after the pair disappeared.

Photos of the missing persons can be seen here: https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C1078964%2Czaginiecie-matki-i-corki-z-czestochowy-policja-prosi-o-pomoc.html

Police ask anyone with information to call 997 or 47 858 16 11.

Source: PAP

From today you can go online to submit your annual tax declaration in Poland.

The ministry of finance is encouraging people to use the e-PIT service to settle their taxes, promising tax refunds in half the usual time to those who do so.

e-PIT has become one of the most popular online government services since it started four years ago, handling almost 10 million submissions last year.

Source: PAP

Weather

It’ll stay cloudy and mild today with a high of 8°C, 46°F, and the possibility of a glimpse of the sun later on. Tomorrow will be a little cooler at 5°C, 41°F and rain towards the evening. Looking ahead, the Polish meteorological office has warned that high winds are expected at the weekend.

RGEN/AGC