The night was supposed to be joyful, but it quickly descended into chaos. In the 11th arrondissement of Paris, on rue Amelot, the floor of an apartment on the 5th floor of a building collapsed during a birthday celebration, late on the night from Saturday, January 17th to Sunday, January 18th, just before midnight. Authorities report that at least 20 people were injured, with one person in critical condition, according to the police prefecture and the Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP).
About fifty guests had gathered to celebrate a resident's birthday when, at the moment of slicing the cake, the floor suddenly gave way, sending the partygoers crashing to the floor below. "We didn’t see it coming, the floor just collapsed all at once," recounted one attendee to RTL. Five individuals were buried beneath the rubble but were quickly rescued by firefighters, who found no signs of additional victims underneath the debris.
One of the injured was taken into care after suffering cardiac arrest, was resuscitated on-site, and then transferred to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. Her vital prognosis is not currently at risk, according to the prefecture. The other victims mainly sustained injuries from the building collapse. Some were taken to a nearby nursing home for initial treatment, according to information from Le Parisien.
Nearly 145 firefighters and dozens of emergency vehicles were mobilized, according to Le Parisien. A security perimeter has been established around 34 bis rue Amelot, and residents of the building have been evacuated as a precaution.
Regarding the causes of the accident, a water infiltration is now being considered. This Sunday morning, the on-call architect at the police prefecture reportedly indicated that infiltration could have caused the floor to weaken, according to information from franceinfo, reported by Le Parisien. According to the building management, the approximately 150-year-old building was not considered to be in poor condition and was not subject to any known issues related to maintenance neglect or major damage. Furthermore, the prefecture confirms that the structure of the building remains intact, and residents should be able to return to their homes later today.
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