PHOTO / VIDEO A church partially collapsed in Sălaj county. A policewoman was injured / The intervention teams are looking for possible victims under the rubble
Photo source: gurasalajului.ro
A church in the town of Cehu Silvaniei, Sălaj county, partially collapsed on Tuesday evening, near the Police headquarters. A woman, a police officer, was injured, and the authorities are still looking for possible victims under the rubble, reported the representatives of the Sălaj County Police Inspectorate (IPJ), quoted by the local press.
“On February 3 this year, at around 6:30 p.m., the police officers from the Cehu Silvaniei City Police were alerted by a single emergency call 112 regarding the fact that a church in the city of Cehu Silvaniei, located in the vicinity of the Cehu Silvaniei City Police headquarters, had collapsed. Police, firefighters and medical crews went to the scene,” IPJ reported Hall.
According to local media, it is about the Reformed Church in Cehu Silvaniei, located in Piața Trandafirilor.
“As a result of the event, a woman, a police officer in the City of Cehu Silvaniei Police, was injured, who was surprised by the collapse while she was moving to the police headquarters. She was transported to a medical unit for medical care, being conscious,” the IPJ Sălaj representatives said.
Also, following the crash, a car was destroyed.
“Currently, on-site searches are being carried out, in order to identify other possible victims”, the authorities stated.
The causes of the incident are not yet known.
The church was under restoration
The Reformed Church in Cehu Silvaniei was, starting in 2025, in full restoration process. The investment, worth 10,000,000 lei, is financed by the National Heritage Institute (INP) through the Historical Monuments Stamp. According to Agerpres, the project aimed at the execution of restoration, conservation and enhancement of the monument.
Also, during the past year, the parish that owns the church also benefited from financial support from the Sălaj County Council, through the county program for the protection of historical monuments.
According to the data of the Zalău County Museum of History and Art, the church was built at the beginning of the 15th century as a medieval Catholic place. The entrance under the tower, the sanctuary and the coats of arms of the Drágffy and Jakcs noble families were still preserved from the original Gothic structure.
Switched to the reformed cult in 1530, the church has undergone major transformations over the centuries, the most visible being the erection of the baroque tower with a metal arrow, the element that dominated the silhouette of the city until the incident on Tuesday evening.
