Five Die in Collapse of Paris Airport Terminal

CNN ^ | May 23, 2004

[nuconvert]

Deadly Paris Airport roof collapse

PARIS, France -- At least five people were killed and three others injured when a massive section of a vaulted ceiling collapsed at a new passenger terminal at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, officials said.

Slabs of concrete and metal came crashing down from the ceiling onto a seated waiting area at about 7 a.m. Sunday (0500 GMT/1 a.m. ET).

Part of the raised terminal structure then collapsed onto airport service vehicles underneath.

The collapse left a hole 50 meters (yards) by 30 meters in the long, tunnel-like building.

"It's like a scene after an earthquake," one firefighter said.

Officials said there was nothing to indicate a terrorist attack.

[RGSpincich]

Looks like they ran utilities in the ceiling.

A missed opportunity to put them in an easily accessable location, the vast cavity under the walkway.

[Willie Green]

You are right about Charles de Gaulle Airport. We landed there once & thought the pilot had become confused & landed in North Africa.

Maybe the captain for the French aircraft carrier was similarly confused by the airport's and thought he was supposed to dock there. French aircraft carrier back in French Port

[RGSpincich]

Before

After

Looks to me like the oval structure is dangling around horizontal floor support beams like an orange peel.

[WideGlide]

Is that Michael Moore up there on the roof of that collapse? Must have been the excess weight of that Palm D'Or award.

[Former Fetus]

This is why the terrorists have not attacked France... they don't have to!

Sorry, I know that was ugly but I just couldn't resist. Have you read the first chapter of John Gibson's new book "Hating America"? the chapter's title is " France's War On America" and you can read it at www.vote.com

[steve86]

In the before photo the seams between the sections of the overhead arched concrete look odd -- not uniform like they should be.

[muleskinner]

The only explanation for crappy french products, is that their crappy products are used for mass consuption...Le Car, Peugot, Phillips, etc. They (the french)are actually capable - 90% of their domestic electricity is generated by nuclear plants. haven't heard of any problems with them. They make, or used to make, very competitive cars for the F1 circuit. I don't know how much they have to do with Airbus, but, right now, their kicking Boeings a$$. And they make very good military vehicles. I think their best and brightest go to work for the french government-not french private enterprise.

That's It! They've surrendered their inovative potential for a government pension. Once a Surrender Monkey, always a Surrender Monkey.

[Tunehead54]

I just got asked to ask you: "Did Tampa get the bridge plans from France?"

---

Maybe! Its a Canadian firm on the hook for the disasters - prolly from Quebec! ;-)

[Darksheare]

!!!Gaaaah!!!

That's awful!
;-)

[nuconvert]

Very attractive

[solitas]

A different image from the same directory - BUT, why is the directory "norway"?

http://brushstroke.tv/norway/norway.002.jpg

[chilepepper]

Digging up Fresnel and Eiffel is going back pretty far. That was then, this is now...

I'm convinced the best of France fell at Verdun and the other battlefields of WWI... France was a great nation before WWI and has been engaging in make believe since then, particularly so since the reign of Charles DeGaulle...

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Darn! Beat me to it!

[Wacka]

I read that to eliminate posts in the concourse, the concrete was wrapped in steel and carbon fiber bands. Probably these failed.