Terrifying images from Lausanne Collapse of scaffolding claims three lives
Tragic accident in the west of Lausanne: scaffolding around 60 meters high has collapsed. Three construction workers were killed and at least eight others were injured.
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- Scaffolding collapsed in Lausanne this morning.
- At least three people died.
- At least eight other people suffered injuries
- The fire department is searching the rubble for more injured people.
Three workers have lost their lives in a serious accident on a construction site in the west of Lausanne. Eight other people suffered injuries when scaffolding around 60 meters high collapsed in Prilly VD.
The identities of the three fatalities were confirmed in the evening. They were three workers, a 43-year-old Swiss man, a 35-year-old man from Cape Verde and a 30-year-old Frenchman, according to the Vaud cantonal police on Friday afternoon.
Four people were seriously injured in the accident and four others suffered moderate or minor injuries. One of the seriously injured was taken to Geneva University Hospital by Rega helicopter. Six other people had to be treated at Lausanne University Hospital.
Debris piled up on the road
The question of one or two missing persons was also clarified in the evening. According to the latest information from the police, two of the fatal victims were initially reported missing. Debris piled up on the street in front of the building after the accident.
The report of the accident was received by the emergency call center at 09:22 in the morning. The workers were building the "Prilly Phare" in the west of Lausanne - a 19-storey wooden residential tower in which 96 apartments are to be built. The "Malley Lumières" shopping center is being extended by 14 storeys on its western side for the project.
Criminal investigation opened
An employee of a pharmacy in the shopping center reported hearing a loud noise and seeing a huge cloud of dust. Several witnesses, including construction workers, told the Keystone-SDA news agency that a freight elevator had plunged downwards, taking the entire scaffolding on the north side of the building with it.
The authorities initially refused to confirm these statements. For the time being, they did not provide any information on the cause or the exact course of the accident. These are still unclear, they said. The responsible public prosecutor's office opened a criminal investigation.
The roads around the construction site, as well as the access roads to the surrounding buildings, were still closed in the evening, as further debris was threatening to fall. The police warned curious people not to come to the site.
Bad weather
The fire department and specialist companies are working to secure the remaining part of the scaffolding, the police wrote in their communiqué. The poor weather forecast with the threat of thunderstorms made this task more difficult.
After the scaffolding collapsed, both the shopping center, including all the offices located there, and the nearby Vaudoise Arena were evacuated.
At HC Lausanne's home stadium, rescue workers subsequently tended to the injured. Specialists also looked after around twenty people who were physically unharmed but had suffered a shock.
Terrifying images from Lausanne: On July 12, 2024, a scaffolding collapsed in the Malley district at around 9.30 am.
Image: KEYSTONE
Residents and passers-by are stunned: several construction workers were injured in the incident.
Image: KEYSTONE
It is not yet clear how many people were injured. Rega supports the rescue operation.
Image: KEYSTONE
A problem with a goods elevator may have caused the accident.
Image: KEYSTONE
Rescuers search the rubble for other injured people.
Image: KEYSTONE
Heavy equipment in use.
Image: KEYSTONE
Image: KEYSTONE
Terrifying images from Lausanne: On July 12, 2024, a scaffolding collapsed in the Malley district at around 9.30 am.
Image: KEYSTONE
Residents and passers-by are stunned: several construction workers were injured in the incident.
Image: KEYSTONE
It is not yet clear how many people were injured. Rega supports the rescue operation.
Image: KEYSTONE
A problem with a goods elevator may have caused the accident.
Image: KEYSTONE
Rescuers search the rubble for other injured people.
Image: KEYSTONE
Heavy equipment in use.
Image: KEYSTONE
Image: KEYSTONE