UNSALUBRITY Since the tragedy that cost the life of a 45-year-old doctor, there has been a certain anxiety among the inhabitants, which has resulted in a strong call for inspectors
Firefighters inspect a crack in the facade of a building near the site of the collapse in Lille. — M.Libert/20 Minutes
- Two three-storey buildings collapsed in Lille on Saturday, killing a 45-year-old doctor.
- A judicial inquiry has been opened to determine the causes of the accident.
- Since the tragedy, a sort of psychosis has taken over the city and the health inspectors’ service is overwhelmed with calls.
Afraid of the city? It has been four days since two buildings collapsed in the heart of downtown Lille, causing the death of a 45-year-old man. Since then, the drama has been the main topic of all conversations in the capital of Flanders, even if nobody knows anything about it. Except that this lack of official information on the causes of the accident, linked to in the secrecy of the ongoing judicial investigation, gives rise to a kind of psychosis that seems irrational at first sight, but which could also prove to be beneficial later on.
While the influx of onlookers around the security perimeter protecting the scene of the disaster had calmed down, we again attended to a crowd on Tuesday evening when several fire engines disembarked; rue Pierre-Mauroy. Perched on their large ladder, two sappers were inspecting the facade of a building located in the village. to a few meters from what remains of the collapsed buildings. “It’s gone like wildfire, a man said there was a crack in the front and word of mouth quickly transformed it” ça in building that threatens to collapse,” 20 Minutesan employee from the Carlton Hotel. And if the crack does exist, that it may seem impressive, it does not, however, date from yesterday. Intrigued, a former street trader wanted to get to the bottom of it: “Going back through Google street view photos, you can easily see that this crack has been around since at least 2008” ;, he says. According to the SDIS 59, contacté by 20 Minutes, an eviction witness had already been placed to monitor its progress.
The health and safety inspectors overwhelmed since the drama
On the day of the accident and the next day, the firefighters were requested to repeatedly “by worried people”, said a spokesman for the SDIS du Nord. However, since the accident, he has only recorded two “raised doubts” in this framework. One mentioned above, and another concerning the Toto fabric store, earlier in the week. “Damaged gutters, cracks, and even bits of falling walls, they are everywhere, you just have to look up. Except that before the collapse, nobody cared,” admits a trader in the sector.
What about the side? of the Communal Hygiene and Health Service; – unworthy habitat, loaded with to receive and investigate unsanitary complaints; filed by tenants? “He has been literally awash in calls since Saturday. There is a movement of concern similar to the one that followed the collapse of a building in Fives, in 2014, which had cost life at; two people”, confirms Mélissa Menet, chief of staff of Martine Aubry. While the number of cases processed each year usually exceeds a thousand, it should increase by the same amount: “Each report is taken seriously but, for all that, no new report will be reported. gave again place at an order in peril,” she continues.
“The city is not collapsing”
Nevertheless, it’s not yet a stampede in the shops, at least for some. At the Pot Beaujolais restaurant, close to the security perimeter, we regret a few cancellations of reservations for customers apprehending to dine near the site of the incident. Opposite, at; Hotel Carlton, this scenario does not arise, “there is just curiosity; from regular customers,” 20 Minutesan employee to reception. Curious customers, the children’s shop at Pareil au meme also has them, especially since the prohibited perimeter stops exactly at the end of the day. his door: “They ask us questions, especially about our state of mind. They are not worried, and neither are we, if we were allowed to leave. to reopen is that we are safe,”said a saleswoman.
“ pass is that the city is not collapsing but that we must remain vigilant,” insists the mayor’s chief of staff. Vigilance of tenants, residents and especially owners: “ to be accompanied by the city”, underlines Mélissa Menet, deploring that we are not these questions only when a tragedy occurs.