At least four seriously injured are to be deplored, after the collapse on Wednesday of an old building, rue Saint-Jacques in Paris. One person is still missing.
CORRIGENDUM. In a previous version of this article, Emmanuel Grégoire, first deputy mayor of Paris, assured the franceinfo antenna that “There is no more research in the rubble” the day after the explosion in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. This information was denied by the person concerned a few minutes later.
A “person who was wanted was found at the hospital, and identified overnight“, announcement on franceinfo Thursday June 22 Emmanuel Grégoire, first deputy mayor of Paris, the day after the explosion which occurred in the 5th arrondissement on Wednesday shortly before 5 p.m. A person is therefore still missing, according to the police headquarters of Paris.
Contrary to what he said a little earlier on franceinfo, Emmanuel Grégoire finally assures that “firefighters continue to clear the rubble to search for possible victims” the day after the tragedy that took place rue Saint-Jacques.
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The latest assessment after the explosion of a building in the 5th arrondissement of Paris reports 37 injured, including four in absolute emergency. The vital prognosis of the four people in absolute emergency is engaged.
A balance sheet that “begins to be stabilized”
Emmanuel Grégoire estimates on franceinfo that this last assessment, provided Wednesday after 10 p.m., “begins to stabilize“.”Fortunately, the nearby buildings, even if they were damaged, did not collapse“, Otherwise “the balance sheet could have been heavier“, indicates the first deputy mayor of Paris.
To take care of the inhabitants, a reception unit had been opened in the town hall of the 5th arrondissement. This device has been lifted”at 2am “, because “there was no one left to take care of“, assures Emmanuel Grégoire. He specifies that the services of the City of Paris have not “needed to re-host“of the inhabitants, because they”were able to organize“themselves. In the afternoon indeed,”evacuations were organized to secure the perimeter, by the police“, Then “the device was tightened as the evening progressed, according to the checks of the architect of the police headquarters and the needs of the investigation“.”The perimeter survey was done at 10:30 p.m. last night, making it clear which buildings could be reinstated and which could not.“, adds Emmanuel Grégoire who does not specify how many buildings”are probably uninhabitable, permanently in the immediate area“.
An open investigation
On Wednesday evening, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, had specified, “to wait for heavy means to now clear the stones and wood that have collapsed in an old building in the 5th arrondissement which apparently presented no difficulty”added the Minister of the Interior, recalling that there was no “no alert before this explosion“.
An investigation for “involuntary injuries aggravated by the deliberate endangerment of the life of others” has been opened. The public prosecutor of Paris, Laure Beccuau, explains that it is a question of verifying “if there was a non-compliance with regulations or individual recklessness that would have led to this explosion, which itself would have led to these injuries“.