A suitcase containing hamster lung cells exploded at Chopin Airport. The owner of the luggage with a complaint
At the beginning of October, an explosion occurred at the Chopin airport in Warsaw. An Egyptian citizen has just been charged with unintentionally causing the risk of an air traffic disaster.
On October 2, a suitcase exploded in the luggage sorting room at Chopin Airport. As it turned out, the container with dry ice, i.e. solidified carbon dioxide, had leaked during transport. The substance was intended to cool transported biological samples, including samples containing hamster lung cells.
Suitcase explosion at Chopin airport
Anna Dermont, the airport’s spokeswoman, said the luggage belonged to a man who was traveling to Vienna. No one was hurt in the explosion, only the sorting shelf was damaged. The biological material was collected by officers of the Internal Security Agency. However, if the explosion had occurred only during the flight, in the mildest case it would have resulted in an emergency landing.
It was determined that the owner of the suitcase was Omar S., an Egyptian scientist. Afterward, the man explained that he was conducting research in Europe. However, he did not declare the substances transported to the airport employees, as reported by Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesman for the Minister Coordinator of Special Services.
The Egyptian scientist was charged
“Dry ice in checked baggage requires the consent of the airline and each item of checked baggage must be marked DRY ICE or CARBON DIOXIDE, SOLID with the net amount of dry ice or a marking that there is 2.5 kg or less of dry ice inside,” emphasized the Civil Aviation Office .
Omar S. was charged with unintentionally causing an immediate danger of a catastrophe in air traffic. He faces up to three years in prison. After interrogation, he was released and asked to leave Poland.
