Part of a terminal at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris
collapsed on Sunday killing four people and injuring three
others. A thirty foot section of the newly built £500 million
Terminal 2E gave way without warning as flights from New York and
Johannesburg were arriving and a flight bound for Prague was
boarding. Eye witness reports said part of the roofing structure
collapsed onto a walkway which in turn buckled, causing the
disaster. Structural Engineer David Adams said, “The cause
of this disaster is completely unknown and we are unlikely to get
to the bottom of it if French bureaucracy plays its part.” The left-wing labour union CGT said it had issued warnings
about the rush to complete the terminal after Air France raised
commercial concerns. The Terminal was completed at the end of
June of last year and was due to be extended in order to
accommodate the new Airbus 380s. The future of the terminal is now in doubt as new cracks
appeared affecting a fresh evacuation. The French authorities
have stated that if the structure proves to be completely unsound
demolition would be the only option available. This would be a
devastating blow to Air France’s prestige project designed
to bring Charles de Gaulle airport to the forefront of
international air travel. Chief architect Paul Andreu has flown
in to inspect the damage and has put himself at the disposal of
the French authorities.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004
Terminal collapse kills four
