BUDAPEST, Hungary: The two top officials of Hungary’s meteorological service were fired Monday after an inaccurate rain forecast prompted the postponement of a fireworks display on the country’s most important national holiday.
The firings of the head and deputy head of the National Meteorological Service prompted accusations of political interference from Hungary’s nationalist government.
The annual St. Stephen’s Day fireworks show along the Danube River in Budapest billed as the largest display in Europe was called off Saturday afternoon based on forecasts that said extreme weather was likely around the 9 p.m. start time.
By evening, the storms had not materialized in the capital, but the show, which typically draws more than a million spectators, already had been rescheduled for the next week due to safety concerns.
The firings were announced in a brief statement by Minister of Technology and Industry Laszlo Palkovics, a top cabinet member in the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The fired weather service chief, Kornelia Radics, had served in her post since 2013 and her deputy, Gyula Horvath, since 2016.
While the minister did not provide a reason for the dismissals, the meteorological service had received harsh criticism in Hungary’s government-aligned media, which charged that the service’s “gravely wrong” forecast had caused a needless postponement of the fireworks display. The Ministry of Technology and Industry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
