Two killed as concrete parts collapse in stairwell at German school construction site
Concrete parts gave way in a stairwell inside the unfinished shell of a school extension in Gronau, Germany, around noon on Thursday, killing two people and injuring two others, the city said. Criminal police are investigating.
The accident happened at about 12 p.m. on October 29 at the Laubstiege site, where the city of Gronau is building an addition to the Werner-von-Siemens-Gymnasium, according to a city press release published by the Borken district. The city said the cause is not yet known. The two injured were taken to hospital.
Fifteen people were working on the site at the time. No students or teachers were there because of the autumn school holidays. Three ambulances, an emergency doctor and about 35 Gronau firefighters responded, along with police, criminal investigators and two specialist advisers from THW, the federal technical relief agency. A rescue helicopter landed but was not needed. Recovery of the two victims was still going on when the city issued its statement.
The Kriminalpolizei is leading the investigation. The city did not name the contractor or say what kind of concrete elements fell or how they were supported. Classes should resume after the holidays, the city said, but only once the police release the site.
Why it matters: Stair cores in a building shell carry loads before every flight and landing is tied in. Crews working in or under one should confirm that temporary supports and the erection sequence match the engineer's plan before anyone goes below.
Sources
- Schwerer Arbeitsunfall auf Baustelle am Werner-von-Siemens-GymnasiumKreis Borken (Stadt Gronau), Oct 29