UN headquarters 'a firetrap'

2006-08-28 09:48

New York - The United Nations is a disaster waiting to happen - a potential towering inferno that could be as devastating for workers, staff and visitors as the terror attacks on the World Trade Centre's twin towers, a US senator said on Sunday.

Calling the 39-story, glass-walled Secretariat building on the East River a "firetrap" that violates many sections of New York City's building code, Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and US ambassador John Bolton should "make it a priority" to force through a $1.6bn renovation programme.

"The United Nations' grave state of disrepair may be hidden, but it is putting the health and safety of thousands who work within the building and in the area in a real degree of danger," Schumer told a news conference on the street in front of the landmark complex.

No sprinklers

Schumer painted a dire picture of what would happen if the complex, a world-famous landmark since 1952 that has 6 000 workers and has averaged 400 000 visitors a year by the UN's own count, were to be hit by a major fire.

He said the glass tower, the first "international style" skyscraper built in New York City, has no internal sprinkler system, is full of dangerous asbestos, and its driveway, above an underground garage, probably would collapse from the weight of fire trucks and other emergency equipment.

Not subject to city safety codes

He cited UN undersecretary Christopher Burnham's testimony to Congress in July 2005 that a fire could engulf the skyscraper, "in minutes," and that even a broken steam pipe could be calamitous by spewing asbestos through a large area.

The 7.3-hectare site, donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr, is officially international territory, therefore not subject to city code enforcement. But because the city responds to emergencies there, the UN edifices should meet local health and safety standards, Schumer said.

- AP