FRANCE. At least four people were killed and three more hurt when the roof of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport terminal 2E – the airport’s ‘showcase jewel’ – collapsed on Sunday. The entire terminal may have to be demolished if investigations show that the fatal collapse was the result of a design fault.
A spokesman for Aelia, which operates numerous stores at terminal 2E, some directly and some in partnership with Aeroports de Paris (AdP) via the joint venture Sociéte Distribution Aéroportuaire, commented: “We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families of the victims of this terrible accident, and our thanks for the numerous calls of support that we have received from our suppliers, business partners and customers.
“We would like to thank all our staff for their exceptional behaviour during this accident. We are working closely with Aéroports de Paris in order to take all appropriate measures to ensure optimum service to the passengers who have been redirected to the other terminals.”
“If all the ring sections which comprise the terminal prove to be unsound, then we will have to demolish it all, of course. We will take no risk when it comes to safety,” Aeroports de Paris president Pierre Graff told Le Parisien newspaper.
His words were rendered more urgent as fresh cracking sounds were reported at the airport yesterday. Workers were moved to safety after the noises were heard in the glass roof. The evacuation came as technical investigators prepared to start their probe into how the tragedy happened.
Referring to Sunday’s incident, Graff told the Associated Press: “Witnesses heard a cracking sound and noticed cracks in the ceiling and saw dust falling. They, of course, ran away. Police arrived and began evacuating people.” Two or three minutes later a 98 ft (29.8 metre) section of the roof collapsed onto the waiting area of the terminal. AP reports that the cylindrical terminal rests on pylons, and when the roof fell it pulled down outer walls, crashing through a boarding ramp onto several parked cars below.
AdP chief medical officer Michel Clerel said that victims of the incident, which occurred just before 7 am, were probably passengers.
The US$890 million terminal, which accommodates 17 aircraft, serves mainly Air France flights. Shortly before the tragedy two Air France flights had arrived from Newark, US, and Johannesburg, South Africa; and one was taking off for Prague, Czech Republic.
Terrorism was ruled out, but the French police launched a criminal investigation yesterday afternoon. The terminal was opened to the public less than a year ago, on 25 June 2003, following construction delays caused by “˜safety issues’.
AdP director Rene Brun said the problems faced by T2E were not structural, insisting that “there were never signs of cracks or other major abnormalities”. Leaks were found in the ceilings before the terminal opened, and a large light fixture fell in the departure area as inspectors were checking the structure.
Terminal 2E was brought into service to handle 10 million passengers annually and was servicing more than 50 flights daily. It houses 16 retail, food & beverage and entertainment outlets, including Hermès, Cartier, Hugo Boss, Ferragamo and Beauty Unlimited. It is the latest addition to the airport’s terminals, the existing ones being T1, T2A, T2B, T2C, T2D, T2F and T3. These seven handle 48 million passengers annually. Flights destined for T2E have been redirected to other terminals.
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