Eight people, including four children, have been reported dead after an apparent gas blast ripped through a residential building in the southern Polish town of Szczyrk on Wednesday evening. Dozens of firefighters and rescue workers were deployed after the three-story building was blown apart by the explosion and erupted in flames at around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
By Thursday noon, rescue teams had recovered eight bodies in the smoking rubble.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki earlier said on Twitter: „All available resources are being used to save lives after the gas explosion … My thoughts go out to the families of the victims; everyone will be provided with help.”
Poles Drive Across Europe in Electric Car for Climate Summit
Two Poles have travelled across Europe to Madrid for a United Nations’ climate conference in an electric car, a trek aiming to promote environmentally-friendly transport. The trip, spanning over 10,000 kilometres and 11 European countries, took around 10 days to complete. The two Polish men stopped at cities where the annual climate summits held by the United Nations have taken place in past years. One of the men, said: “We drove through Katowice and Poznań, Polish cities which hosted the climate conference. Then we went to Berlin, Bonn and The Hague and then we drove to Paris. From there we travelled to Madrid.”
Electromobility was one of the topics discussed at the Madrid climate conference.
Source – The First News
New sports minister for Poland
Former world fencing champion Danuta Dmowska-Andrzejuk has been sworn in as Poland’s new sports minister this week. The ceremony at the presidential palace in Warsaw came after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki earlier this week named Dmowska-Andrzejuk as his pick for the job.
She replaces Witold Bańka, a former 400-metres runner-turned-politician who was last month confirmed as the new head of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Dmowska-Andrzejuk is a 2005 world fencing champion. Her sporting successes also include one European championship gold and two silver medals in the fencing team event.
Gdansk City Hall Hires Special Employee
Gdansk City Hall have announced this week that they have hired their first employee with down’s syndrome in what is a first for any city hall in the whole of Poland. Michał Milka a 36-year-old resident of the city is enthusiastic about the role he has been offered with the Department of Civil Affairs in the Department of Business Activity Records of the Medical University in Gdańsk.
Hiring an employee with Down syndrome is an opportunity for other people with intellectual disabilities and shows employers that it is possible and necessary to give them a chance. Especially today, when there is a shortage of employees on the labour market for various tasks – says Paweł Ryta, director of the „Me too” Foundation with which Mr Milka is associated. Outside of work, Michał is also very busy. He is active in the theatre, paints and creates graphics. He also travels a lot, having travelled and lived in Spain, Italy and New York, among others.
Radio Ho Ho Gdansk
Radio Gdansk had a very welcome (but not unexpected) visitor today. St. Nicholas or as he is better known in English speaking countries – Santa Claus found time in his busy schedule to come to our studios. He went on to hand out gifts to listeners including the much sort after Gdansk version of Monopoly. Santa visits good children on Decemebr 6th in Poland, leaving small gifts and sweets in socks or shoes. You can listen to the show by going radiogdansk.pl and typing in Good Morning Gdansk.
The Weather
Friday is going to be cloudy with a fresh breeze and chances of rain and sleet later this afternoon. Temperatures will reach 3 degrees centigrade (37 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and remaining at 3 degrees overnight too.
Saturday will remain rainy and cloudy in a moderate breeze and temperatures around 6 degrees centigrade.
RGEN/TH
