of the flood briefed at the station, trying to figure out what to do. At 4:00, when the water level reached the maximum extent, the engineers decided to demolish a cofferdam further down on the river (located near the Mărășești underpass), in order to allow the water to flow freely and to reduce the flooding. Nicolae Ceaușescu visited the damaged station at 10:30; when asked when the stations will open, the engineers replied "likely by Tuesday morning". By this time, firemen and metro employees were operating and bringing in pumps to remove the water Shortly after Ceaușescu left, a young man reported flooding into the M2 station downstairs, and 2 hours later, it was found that water was going through a tube designed for electrical cables. Later on, more pumps were brought out for the flooding in the second station. The breach was so grave, that further towards Timpuri Noi and Mihai Bravu, a section of the tunnel was fully submerged by water. The water on the M1 station was all cleared out by 7:00 hours on Sunday, at the same time, cleanup efforts began. Because the canal that was breached mainly hosted wastewater, it left a horrible smell in the station, which further hampered cleanup efforts. By Wednesday, all the water in the tunnels and stations had been pumped out, and cleaning of the tunnels and various service rooms, replacement of damaged equipment and overhaul of the signals began. By Thursday morning, everything was back in working order. Worse damage was avoided – if the flooding continued, it would have damaged multiple transformers and the dispatcher office of the stations. References Unirii Railway stations opened in 1979 1979 establishments in Romania