two seriously injured after the collapse of a balcony in the 13th arrondissement

It is a little before 8 p.m., Friday evening, May 19, in the 13th arrondissement of Paris when the balcony of a building, located on the fifth floor, collapses, also hitting that of the fourth. A couple in their sixties is swept away in the fall, their vital prognosis is still engaged. One suffers from an open fracture in the leg, the other from head trauma. “Suddenly, I heard a noise, like an explosion. I clearly thought it was a bomb. Panicked, I went straight to my balcony, (…) I tilted my head and saw my two neighbors totally unconscious”. said a woman.

An open investigation

A neighbor even admits having already been scared on his balcony and condemned it to be sure that no one goes there. In a tweet, the borough mayor, Jérôme Coumet, reacted: “The building was a relatively recent construction (late 80s), but there is obviously a major flaw.” It belongs to the social landlord Paris Habitat, reached on the phone, he denies any major problem. The expert report must be made in the next few days, all the balconies have been condemned. The prosecution has opened an investigation for involuntary injury resulting in incapacity for work of more than three months.