Two buildings collapsed in the center of the northern French city of Lille on Saturday. Miraculously, there were no deaths or injuries: a young man returning home in the middle of the night noticed that a wall in the building was “oddly askew”. He then raised the alarm and the other residents were evacuated from the building.
“We were informed by a young man who came home at 3 a.m. to find that the door was open and the wall was oddly skewed. The fire brigade and the municipal police immediately arrived on the scene and we took an emergency order,” said the mayor from Lille, Martine Aubry, according to the local newspaper La Voix du Nord. at the scene of the accident. If the night owl hadn’t been so attentive, the incident could have been much worse, she is convinced.
Photographer witnessed the collapse up close
An extensive rescue operation is underway and the situation is still being investigated, the fire service announced on Saturday morning. Renovation work had been carried out in one of the two neighboring buildings, not far from the historic main square. A newspaper photographer witnessed the collapse on the way to the newsroom. First stones broke out of the facade and then the buildings collapsed. A neighboring hotel was evacuated.
The collapse occurred around 9:15 a.m. in the street, which is heavily frequented by shopping tourists during the day, especially on weekends. If the buildings had collapsed a few hours later, there would have been many passersby at the scene of the accident and the incident would probably have ended less brightly. After the collapse, the area was cordoned off over a large area. Rescue workers were deployed to the ruins with sniffer dogs and special equipment, the fire service said. The helpers arrived with a total of 48 vehicles.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
