'Poor quality concrete' blamed

2004-07-06 19:02

Paris - The Paris airport collapse that killed four people in May was probably caused by metal struts piercing the building's concrete vaulted roof, an official report said on Tuesday.

The transport ministry said preliminary findings suggested that the "dominant cause" of the partial collapse of terminal 2E was "linked to the perforation of the vault by the struts."

It also blamed the poor quality of the concrete for the May 23 disaster, in which falling glass, steel and masonry killed four travellers - two Chinese, one Czech and one Lebanese. Three others were injured.

"It's probable that this perforation was made possible by the prior gradual deterioration of the concrete," the ministry's statement said.

Still to be explained is the reason the roof gave way exactly when it did, the ministry said.

The ministry, citing the findings, brushed aside speculation that the accident was caused by ground movement or problems during construction, which led to delays. Pylons holding up the section of the three-building terminal that collapsed had to be reinforced after cracks appeared.

An inquiry commission is using modelling techniques and laboratory analysis of the debris to establish the cause of the disaster at the futuristic terminal designed by architect Paul Andreu, 63, who is working on an opera house in Beijing, China.

Its final report, for which no date has yet been set, will determine whether the $920m building will be repaired or torn down.

The terminal, which opened to great fanfare on June 25, 2003, was a key element in the development strategies of the airport's operator, Aeroports de Paris, and its main customer, Air France.

A judicial investigation into the accident also is proceeding, with experts trying to detect possible errors in the structure's conception or any failure in the building techniques.

- AP