The head of Hungary's national weather service and her deputy have been sacked after a forecast storm — that led to the postponement of a massive fireworks display — did not eventuate.
Technology Minister Lazlo Palkovics relieved president Kornelia Radics and her deputy Gyula Horvath from their duties, but did not provide any reason.
But the announcement came a day after pro-government media criticised the National Meteorological Service (NMS) for its forecast of thunderstorms and gusts of wind which prompted the cancellation of the fireworks seven hours before the show was due to begin on Saturday.
The pyrotechnics display celebrating a national holiday was set to include about 40,000 fireworks launching from 240 points along 5 kilometres of the Danube River in central Budapest, the BBC reported.
Online newspaper Origo said the agency had given "misleading information about the extent of the bad weather, which misled the operation team responsible for security".
The weather service apologised on Sunday, citing "a factor of uncertainty inherent in the profession".
The forecast storm had changed direction and missed the city.
In a reaction broadcast on the social network Facebook, former opposition MP Andras Fekete-Gyor joked: "They couldn't produce the desired weather, they were fired.
"No, it's not a dictatorship in Central Asia, it's the Hungary of Fidesz," he said, referring to the country's ruling party.
The fireworks display — billed as "the biggest in Europe" to celebrate "Hungary's millennial state" — has been rescheduled for later this week.
The opposition had earlier called for its cancellation, denouncing it as "a useless waste of money" at a time when the country's economy is struggling.
In 2006, the annual festivities were hit by a violent storm that killed five people and injured several hundred.
It caused widespread panic among more than a million people who had gathered to watch on the banks of the Danube.
AFP
