A few hours after the death of a worker, on the construction site of the future metro line C, in Labège, south of Toulouse, the public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation.
The scene is impressive. An imposing concrete block is completely destroyed after collapsing. A few meters from this scene, firefighters leave the site at high speed escorted by four gendarmerie bikers. Meanwhile, dog teams search the rubble in search of possible buried bodies. A drama unfolded this Monday late afternoon on the construction site of the future metro line C, in Labège, south of Toulouse. Here we know.
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The victims were ten meters high
Shortly after 5 p.m., a concrete part used for the construction of a viaduct collapsed. “When this aerial part gave way, four workers were on this bridge. They jumped from a height estimated at 10 meters. One of these men died, two of them were injured and hospitalized in absolute emergency at the Purpan University Hospital and the fourth was also injured and taken to a clinic,” specifies Samuel Vuelta-Simon, the public prosecutor.
Two young gendarmes intervened immediately
This scene took place under the eyes of two young gendarmes, who were patrolling the parking lot of the shopping center located just opposite. These two soldiers provided first aid while waiting for the arrival of a large fire brigade and the Smur.
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The scaffolding in question?
“It’s horrible. We heard a big boom, before seeing thick smoke,” testifies Julien, one of the many students present nearby.
If we trust the first words of the craftsmen, part of a scaffolding would have broken under the weight of this “concrete apron”, then the structure would have crashed to the ground. “A priori, this would be linked to a breakage of a jack between two piers of the construction site,” adds the public prosecutor, quite cautiously. The Toulouse public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation immediately.
The investigation begins
The gendarmes from the Villefranche-de-Lauragais research brigade carried out the first findings, assisted by a labor inspection agent for an “administrative investigation”. “We will try to determine whether or not there is a human error behind this dramatic accident. These investigations are likely to be very long,” warns a source close to the matter. Everyone present at the site should all be interviewed as soon as possible. Soldiers from the Unit for Combating Illegal Work and Fraud also came to ensure that all the craftsmen had authorization to work on site.
The mayor of Labège speaks
But the priority last night was above all the health of the workers and contemplation for those who lost their lives. “When there is a tragedy that happens like this, it is a hard blow, we think first to the families and I offer them my condolences,” declares Laurent Chérubin, the mayor of this town.