More fear than harm? A building collapsed on Saturday morning in the center of Lille, without causing any casualties, the building was evacuated during the night as a precaution, the mayor of the city, Martine Aubry, told AFP.
“A young man came home at 3 a.m. and found the wall (of the building) warped,” he said. He then alerted the municipal police and firefighters, who decided to evacuate the building, believing “that there was a concrete risk”.
“I was in fear of my life”
The building collapsed early in the morning, in a central shopping street in Lille, but before shops opened. The surrounding buildings have also been evacuated, the city’s mayor said.
Firefighters are deployed to clear the rubble, accompanied by police who have secured the perimeter, AFP reporters noted. Firefighters were still “reconnoitering” to find “possible victims,” they said. SAMU ambulances are also on site.
“We heard a noise for a few seconds, very soft at first. We thought it was the scaffolding that was falling,” said Ludovic Ficher, who works in an adjacent building. “When we realized that it was the whole building that was collapsing, we all ran away,” he added. “I had the fear of my life. »
