Drone footage reveals devastation inside Bucharest block nine months after fatal gas explosion

Drone inspection reveals scale of damage

On 22 July 2026, a drone operated by the project designer flew through the wrecked apartments of the Rahova block, capturing images of collapsed ceilings, shattered walls, and rooms still frozen in the moment of the 17 October 2025 gas explosion. Bucharest City Hall published the footage the following day, calling it a necessary step for the safety design. "A picture is worth a thousand words!" the municipality wrote on Facebook, noting that the site had been handed over to the contractor the previous week.

A picture is worth a thousand words! Last week we handed over the site, and the contractor is preparing to start making the Rahova block safe.

The explosion, caused by a gas leak, tore through two floors of the eight-storey building, killing between three and four people and injuring 7 to 15, according to varying official counts. A total of 54 apartments were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, and 36 parked cars were damaged.

Safety works: what they entail

After months of failed tenders, the city awarded a 1.34 million lei (excluding VAT) contract to firm Apolodor in May 2026. The works are split into a 30-day design phase and 50 days of execution, with the entire process expected to take around two months. The procedure involves demolishing the heavily damaged section of the block and propping the remaining structure with metal or wooden supports.

The procedure involves separating the affected floors from the rest of the block. The affected part is removed and demolished, and the part that remains is propped for better support. Only after this moment will residents of the remaining part be able to enter to recover documents and valuables.

City officials cautioned that residents of the destroyed section are unlikely to ever retrieve belongings from their apartments. Once the stabilisation is complete, a technical expertise will determine whether the surviving portion can be consolidated or must also be demolished. The final step is reconstruction and restoration of property rights.

Residents' frustration and legal probe

Nine months of waiting have frayed patience. Under the city's Facebook post, residents vented anger. Ionica Stanciu wrote: "If it were Ceaușescu, you'd be hanged. This country didn't deserve to join the EU. A mockery." Others complained that "9 months and nothing" had happened.

If it were Ceaușescu, you'd be hanged. This country didn't deserve to join the EU. A mockery.

Meanwhile, a criminal investigation is advancing. Prosecutors are examining four individuals and three companies. A total of 176 claims for damages have been filed, and courts have ordered seizures of over 53 million euros and more than 10 million lei from the accused.

Timeline of the response

The city has detailed its actions since the blast. On the day of the explosion, an emergency command point was set up at the "Dimitrie Bolintineanu" high school, and nearly 300 people were evaluated; 62 were housed in hotels. Over the following days, the city council approved 2.9 million lei for hotels, rents, and other support, later adding another 1.1 million lei on 24 October. By 20 October, the first four families had moved from hotels to rented apartments. To date, the city has paid 115,000 euros in rent for 43 evacuated families. The drone inspection marks the first visible progress toward physical work on the building itself, with safety works expected to be completed by late September 2026, after which some residents may finally retrieve their belongings.