Budapest building roof collapses – Here’s why

This week on Monday, we reported that some roofing elements and a facade wall collapsed in downtown Budapest. Five cars were completely flattened, and several people were injured. The question remains: what caused such a catastrophe? Continue reading our article below to find out more.

The roof of a building collapsed on Monday morning around 9:45 AM in downtown Budapest. The event took place in the 6th district of Budapest, on Jókai St. Most of the debris fell onto the street and the sidewalk. The police said that according to preliminary data, four people were injured by the falling debris. A police spokesman at the scene told Telex that there were three casualties with minor and one with severe injuries.

Aftermath of the accident – Source: MTI/Balogh Zoltán

The reason behind the Budapest collapse

Index learned that another level was to be built on the roof of the building. This means that the event did not entail any renovations. Rather, the accident happened due to the preparations for the construction.

As it turns out, there was also a fire on the site a few weeks ago. This may have also weakened the floors. According to a safety inspector who spoke to the above source, the company employed by the contractor was not sufficiently careful. Practically no safety regulations were observed, and it led to flammable materials being placed on the roof.

Roof of the building – Source: MTI/Balogh Zoltán

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Citizens in harm’s way

A hearing-impaired elderly woman was rescued by the emergency services from the Terézváros property. The mayor of Terézváros was contacted by Telex about the issue. Mayor Tamás Soproni said, “The elderly woman did not sense anything from the collapse of the roof. This is why the emergency services helped her to leave her home.”

A couple was also walking on the street when the accident happened. Nikolett, a dancer of the Hungarian State Opera, and her boyfriend, Benjamin were both injured. The young man was interviewed by RTL.hu. He found his partner under the rubble, and emergency services had unfortunate news. Nikolett suffered grave head and spinal injuries.

Both of the young woman’s legs might be paralysed for the rest of her life.

The mayor said that the building had already started to be cleared of hazards. According to the ELMŰ Electrics, the power lines were not damaged, so the electricity is expected to be restored soon. The mayor will submit a proposal to the municipality for a one-off emergency grant of HUF 50,000 (EUR 125) per flat for the residents of the building.

A damaged balcony – Source: MTI/Balogh Zoltán

Source: telex.hu, index.hu, rtl.hu