Tourism devastated after giant Romania salt mine hit by floods

Half a million tourists visited the vast complex in central Romania last year alone, which also houses an adventure park and a medical center for respiratory diseases.

Besides the 130 or so miners who worked what is said to be one of Europe's biggest salt deposits, thousands of locals have relied on tourism from the mine for decades.

"We have no bookings, and those that had been made before have all been cancelled," guesthouse owner Attila Ambrus told AFP.

Dozens of villagers have also been evacuated due to the risk of collapse of some of the mine's older galleries.

The flooding late last month came as heavy rains turned a nearby river into a torrent, with a flow rate not seen in 30 years.

Almost 40,000 people in a neighboring area were also left without drinking water after salt levels increased.

With access to the mine blocked since the disaster, officials are still trying to investigate what happened and the full extent of the damage.

Water seeping into the mine had been a problem in the past, but specialists were able to manage it without "major consequences", officials said earlier this week.

Work has already begun to reroute the river away from the mine, and international experts have arrived after Romania requested help from the European Union. The government has also promised 60 million euros ($69 million) in aid for local businesses.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also offered assistance, as the region is home to the largest ethnic Hungarian population in Romania.

But despite the pledges some say it is time to think about alternatives if the mine is lost.

"We must not rely on having the salt mine," mayor Laszlo Nyagrus told AFP, although he hopes the site can be saved.

Some have begun proposing new ideas, although many are sceptical of whether they could ever replace the mine as the region's economic lifeblood.

"We're going to develop the sports ground and probably focus on sports training camps," said guesthouse owner Alexandru Muntean.

When he opened his 18 years ago, the village only had 100 guesthouses. That number has since quadrupled.

Tourism consultant Razvan Pascu, who has been promoting the region for years, worries that Praid could "be wiped off Romania's tourism map".

With bookings badly down, anger has mounted and the blame game over the disaster has intensified.

Several locals complained of preventive measures not having been taken in the past, with problems only "patched up".

"We will look at who is guilty, and we will not leave these people behind," Romanian President Nicusor Dan vowed during a recent visit.

"Such extreme (weather) events... have become frequent in our country and are a consequence of... climate change," he said, days after visiting Praid.

With memories of last year's severe floods that killed several people in Romania still fresh, guesthouse owner Muntean blamed those "who did not bother to take care of the country's wealth".

Among the few tourists in Praid, Ioan Mera said he had hoped one day to see the village's "historic monument".

"My heart aches," he said.