RIGA, Mar 4 (LETA) - The ice jam in the Gauja River that threatened to cause floods in the Carnikava area has disappeared after the armed forces blasted the congestion Thursday, the Carnikava local government informed this evening. 

The local government said on Twitter that the ice has flown downstream and the water level was rapidly falling. It has already dropped by half a meter, the local authority said. 

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Edmunds Svencs who led the ice blasting operation, told LETA that although the ice had started to move shortly before the explosion was planned, the soldiers had to detonate the explosives. 

"The preparations were completed. On receiving the information that the ice in the Gauja had moved, we decided to detonate the load early to make way for the sludge approaching the explosives. The blast took place 7 or 8 minutes ahead of the schedule. The blast helped achieve the goal more effectively, making way for the stream running to the sea," said Svencs.

He explained that leaving the explosives in the ice would have been too dangerous. 

As reported, ice in the River Gauja near Carnikava started to move after 15:00 this afternoon, only minutes before the explosives placed in the ice were detonated, LETA observed.

The ice jam was slowly moving towards the explosives but it did not reach them when the blast went off.

After the blast, the ice continued to float downstream towards the sea.

On Wednesday, ice in the Gauja had halted about about 1.5 km from the mouth of the sea near Celaji. The water level was rising rapidly, submerging meadows near the Carnikava promenade and reaching some local residents' garages.

To prevent major floods in the area, it was decided to dislodge the ice jam near Carnikava by blasting it.

Several hundred onlookers had arrived on the riverside Thursday to watch the ice being blown up in the Gauja.