The investigations into the explosion followed by the collapse of a building in the 5th arrondissement of Paris on June 21, which left one dead and around fifty injured, were entrusted to an investigating judge on Monday, said Thursday July 6 sources familiar with the matter.
The judicial information was opened for manslaughter, involuntary injuries with ITT of more and less than three months, by manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of safety or prudence provided for by law or regulation, specified the judicial source. , confirming information from Franceinfo.
“The investigating judge will now be able to order expert opinions in order to understand the origin of the disaster”, she continued, specifying that “the investigations are now complicated by the presence of lead and asbestos in the rubble”.
On June 21, at the end of the afternoon, a building located rue Saint-Jacques had collapsed, after an explosion followed by a fire. After six days of searching, a body was found under the rubble. It would be a woman, professor at the private fashion school, the Paris American Academy, located in the building, a 17th century pavilion, classified as a historical monument and bordering the courtyard of honor of the former abbey of Val de Grace.
In the hours and days following the explosion, the search was complicated by the risk “of the collapse of the adjoining building, and by the difficulty in clearing blocks of cut stone from the building concerned”, reported the prosecution. from Paris. Around 50 people were injured, four of whom were seriously injured. According to a latest assessment, “three injured remained in absolute emergency”, said Thursday a source close to the file.
Sixty families deprived of their homes
The investigations must in particular determine the origin of the accident. The first witnesses, heard as part of the investigation entrusted to the 3rd district of the Paris judicial police, mentioned “a smell of gas”.
About sixty families remain deprived of access to their accommodation and have since been relocated by social landlords, with relatives or in a hotel, announced the mayor of the 5th arrondissement, Florence Berthout, during an update on this drama at the Council of Paris on Wednesday.
Nine addresses are affected by an order prohibiting access and housing near number 277, address of the collapsed building.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announced on June 26 aid of 2 million euros to support the professionals and residents affected, ensuring that “all the light will be shed on the conditions of this explosion”.