Ten buildings were evacuated for safety. – E.Provenzano / 20 Minutes
- Experts fear that other collapses will follow those which took place on rue de la Rousselle on the night of Sunday to Monday in Bordeaux.
- Evacuations on ten neighboring buildings were carried out as a precaution.
- An audit to identify buildings at risk will be carried out.
“The survivors saw their building collapse before their eyes. The upper steps were collapsing as they descended the stairs, reports the mayor of Bordeaux Pierre Hurmic on Monday evening. They lived a real nightmare and that is why we set up a psychological unit ”.
Among the survivors of the collapse of the two buildings in rue de la Rousselle on the night from Sunday to Monday, a young man was seriously injured. “His condition is improving and he was able to see and discuss with his brother,” said housing assistant Stéphane Pfeiffer.
Ten neighboring buildings evacuated
The mayor said that his teams were hard at work to manage this crisis, which fortunately has not claimed any victims for the moment. About a hundred people are said to be affected by the evacuations, some of which took place as a precaution.
“We dispatched an expert and he told us that he strongly feared a domino effect that could affect all the neighboring buildings. We immediately took the decision to evacuate ten buildings around the two victims, ”explains Pierre Hurmic. He assured that everything was done to allow maximum security of the rue de la Rousselle, even though cracks are visible to the naked eye on the nearest buildings.
An audit on the old town
As for the origin of the collapse, the city awaits the verdict of the expertises. “But we know that extreme climatic conditions, such as the violent downpours that there have been, can worsen pre-existing situations”, points out the mayor. However, there was no peril decree on these buildings, unlike those concerned rue Planterose. The city is taking the situation very seriously and is launching “an audit to inventory all the buildings in the center of Bordeaux which are in worrying states of dilapidation and dilapidation”, announced the mayor of Bordeaux.
The entry into force of a rental permit, voted in March, on the scale of the metropolis will allow to have more control over the condition of the properties rented by the owners, estimates the city. As of Tuesday, consolidation work is planned on the most threatening buildings on rue de la Rousselle so that the black series of collapses comes to an end.