HEARING REPORT – A week after the opening of the debates, the relatives of the victims who died under the rubble of the collapsed buildings on November 5, 2018 paid tribute to their deceased, while expressing their concern, already strong, before the disaster.
The first time they walked through the door of 65 rue d'Aubagne, in the Noailles district, Simona Carpignano's parents were seized with fear. “It was like a shock”remembers Domenico, the father of this young Italian student, living in Marseille for almost two years. It was a day in February 2018. The Carpignanos did not yet know that, eight months later, on a Monday morning shortly after 9 a.m., this same building would collapse, resulting in the death of their daughter. She was 30 years old. At the bar of the Marseille criminal court, pressed close to his wife, Domenico remembers this first visit as if it were yesterday.
In front of them, a photo of their daughter is projected on the big screen in front of them. Simona Carpignano is one of the eight victims of these collapses on rue d'Aubagne who have occupied the sixth room of the criminal court for six days now. A smirk, her hair pulled back into a bun, the slender young girl poses in front of flowers, with that royal posture of the head that those who, like her, have practiced classical dance for a long time retain. Behind them, Julien Ruas, former deputy mayor for risk prevention, is the only one of the 16 defendants to keep his eyes down in front of the photo of the beautiful Italian woman.
“The entrance to the building was horrible, if he rappels Domenico Carpignano. The lock didn't work and it smelled very strongly. It looked like a public toilet.” When Domenico, with his imposing build, steps on the floor of the apartment, the tiles that make up the floor break under his weight. Concern is beginning to arise among Simona Carpignano's parents. When the couple returned to their daughter's home at the beginning of October to celebrate obtaining her master's degree, the situation had deteriorated. We are a month before the fateful date of November 5, 2018, which will forever mark their lives.
Sensation d’inclination
“On the stairs, I had this feeling of inclination”explains Domenico at the bar. On October 18, a peril order was ordered. An expert, now accused before the criminal court, however authorizes the residents to stay in their homes after a quick visit of just one hour. Simona Carpignano's parents remain concerned. The whole family pitches in to help the young woman move. “You need to get out of there.”his mother begs him. “Mom, competent people reassured us,” Simona replied.
The latter, however, remained lucid about the situation. When the president screens an email from Simona Carpignano who confides to her owner that she is worried about her safety, her mother bursts into tears. “My daughter was betrayed by the values she loved. She was seeking the right to live with dignity. And everything she had believed in turned against her.” Simona Carpignano worked in the social and solidarity economy and is described by those close to her as entirely devoted to others.
The son of Fabien Lavieille, Simona Carpignano's next door neighbor, was also worried. “I wasn’t really a fan of my father living here (sic)”confides the young man. At 26 years old, Léo Lavieille modestly recounts his broken life in court, he who has already been motherless since he was 8 years old. “There are quite a few items from my mother and father that were in this apartment. These objects are a big part of my story. And unfortunately, I will never have access to this story.
“I lost an idol”
“I lost a loved one, a resource person for me, who could have been an idol, breathes Djidiak Gaye, the half-brother of Pape Niasse who also died in the collapses. It's very hard. He was unanimously unanimous around him. She was a bright person.” A few hours after learning of the death of her adopted daughter (tenant on the top floor) to whom she was very close, Marie-Emmanuelle Blanc's mother suffered a fatal cardiovascular accident. “For me, there are nine victims in this tragedy”sighs Paul Blanc, who lost his sister and his mother on the same day of November 5, 2018. The man recognizes “drowning yourself in work” to avoid thinking.
“I expect from this trial that the people responsible for this tragedy will be judged, explains Paul Blanc. And I would like us to be able to say to potential people who today have the same way of managing apartments, with unworthy housing: “Be careful, justice is there. She watches and she punishes.” The trial is scheduled to last until December 18.
