Several people injured when a facade wall collapsed in downtown Budapest – VIDEO, UPDATE

A facade wall and roofing elements fell onto the street and parked cars in the centre of Budapest on Monday morning. MTI reports that several people were injured, many cars were damaged and five vehicles were completely flattened.

Máté Kisdi, a spokesman for the Budapest Disaster Management Directorate, told MTI that the collapse started from the roof of a five-storey building at the intersection of Aradi and Jókai streets in the 6th district, and carried away the balconies’ cornices below, with debris falling onto cars parked on Jókai Street and onto the road.

Firefighters searched the damaged cars with search dogs, but found no one in them, nor in the damaged apartments,” the spokesperson added.

The National Directorate General of Disaster Management said that the area had been closed off with the cooperation of the co-authorities.

Rescue operations are still ongoing at the site, the section of Jókai Street between Aradi and Dessewffy Streets and the section between Aradi Street No. 1-5 have been closed. According to police.hu, the Budapest Police Headquarters is investigating the incident with the involvement of experts in the framework of a criminal investigation on suspicion of occupational endangerment.

According to our information, at least six ambulances have arrived on the scene, and units of the emergency services and the police are also on the scene.

UPDATE

A dancer suffered serious injuries on her way to the Budapest Operetta on Monday when segments of a rooftop under construction and building frontage collapsed onto the pavement at the corner of Jókai Street and Aradi Street morning.

Six ambulance units were called to the scene and rescuers treated four injured. The most seriously injured was a young woman who suffered a skull injury, spinal injury and internal injuries. She received prompt treatment by paramedics and was immediately taken to an accident and emergency department, he said.

Three of the injured needed help for bruises and wounds and were also taken to the accident and emergency department, said a spokesman for the ambulance service.

Népszava obtained the footage from the CCTV camera that recorded the moment of the collapse. The footage clearly shows people on Jókai Street fleeing at the sound of the crash.

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Source: MTI