Drilling firm faces prosecution in Basel
Basel's prosecutor's office has announced it is launching legal proceedings against the head of a drilling firm accused of triggering an earthquake.
A series of tremors took place from December 2006 onwards after a test geothermal project for heating and power generation got underway in the city.
A borehole five kilometres deep was being injected with water when a small but noticeable earthquake shook the Basel neighbourhood where the drilling was being carried out.
The tremor was strong enough to cause cracks in buildings. Around 2,500 claims for damage were filed with insurers by the end of January this year, and payments worth SFr3 million ($2.88 million) have been handed out so far.
Total costs for the damage are expected to exceed SFr7 million.
The project has been on hold since the earthquake, and the cantonal government will make a decision whether to pursue it after it receives a risk analysis.
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