Buildings collapsed before the stores open. The firefighters were still in “recognition”, at the end of the morning, with a view to finding “possible victims”.
by Alexandre Lenoir with AFP (Lille) (with AFP)
Two adjoining buildings collapsed on Saturday November 12, in the morning, in downtown Lille. According to the mayor of the city, Martine Aubry, there is no victim, the building having been evacuated in the night as a precaution.
The firefighters were still in “recognition” with a view to finding “possible victims”, especially in the second building, they said. Samu ambulances were also on site.
The building in question collapsed around 9 am, causing the neighboring building in its fall. They were located in a central shopping street in Lille, but the collapse occurred before the stores open. “A young person returned at 3 am and he realized that the [building] wall was glidded,” said the mayor of Lille. He then warned the municipal police and the firefighters, who decided to evacuate the building, believing “that there was a real risk”, according to M Me aubry. The neighboring buildings were also evacuated, said the councilor.
Direct 🔴 #Lille: Two buildings collapse in the city center, a first alert had taken place in the night… https://t.co/poqqxvskzc
work on the back of the building
Firefighters are deployed to clear the rubble, accompanied by police officers who secured the perimeter. The causes of collapse are still unknown. The residents have heard no explosion, which affirms the hypothesis of a gas leak. However, work had taken place at the back of the building. “We heard a noise of a few seconds, very slowly at the beginning. We thought it was the falling scaffolding,” said a local resident, who works in a adjoining building.
“When we realized that it was the whole building that was collapsing, we all run away,” he added. “I still tremble. We escaped the worst” reacted M me aubry. “Without the presence of mind of this resident who alerted the police, we could have had a real disaster,” she greeted. Rue Pierre-Mauroy is crowded on Saturday afternoon.