A metal scaffold and a bookstore company fell on the sidewalk in the center of the capital. The area is known for old buildings and in advanced state of degradation.
The facade of some shops on Magheru Boulevard collapsed photo: Video capture
Bucharest was again on the verge of tragedy, after part of the facade of some stores on Magheru Boulevard collapsed Thursday morning. The incident took place in an intensely circulated area, and only a happy coincidence made anyone hurt.
A heavy metal scaffold and the support of a bookstore company broke off and collapsed with noise on the sidewalk, in an area frequented daily by thousands of people. The police intervened quickly, blocking the access of pedestrians and deviating the buses on the first band of the boulevard.
“I said it's an earthquake”
A witness in the area tells that he was scared of the loud noise: “I was in a store and I heard a bump, I said it's an earthquake. I always pass, every day. “
The images published by the observer capture the severity of the situation. If the incident had happened during the evening, when the sidewalks are full, the consequences could have been tragic. The fallen plates, which should have visually protect the metal structure, proved old and corroded by rust.
Old buildings, constant danger
The buildings on Magheru Boulevard date from the interwar period, when Bucharest was nicknamed “Little Paris”. Today, many of them are in an advanced state of degradation and they collapse, on their own, piece by piece.
Today's collapse took place just 150 meters from the Ciclop garage, another high seismic risk building, and 300 meters from the Patria block, in the same condition. In the latter case, the authorities promise that the consolidation works will start next year.
It is not for the first time that the area is marked by such incidents. Two years ago, a piece of plaster broke off and hit a passerby, an accountant of the France's Embassy. The man needed medical care.
Promises without results
The Magheru area is one of the most vulnerable in Bucharest in the case of a powerful earthquake. The buildings here have not been consolidated for decades, although the authorities constantly promise interventions.
“We are talking about buildings that were affected in 1940 in the earthquake, they were also affected in 1977 and left unrepentantly, not consolidated to this day, with a few exceptions. In an earthquake scenario we can expect many of them to disappear.”, Said Matei Sumbasacu, representative of an association that deals with the seismic risk.
Although the consolidation work started on ten yards in Bucharest, the authorities promise that by the end of the year at least ten others should be opened. Until then, however, dozens of buildings remain a public danger in the heart of the capital.
