A teenager died while doing urbex: what is this dangerous and often illegal practice?

She was 15 years old and died falling through the roof of an abandoned factory. A teenage girl suffered a dramatic fall, Saturday April 27, 2024 in Unieux, near Saint-Etienne (Loire), while she was the urbexaccording to the first elements of the investigation revealed by AFP.

This practice, very popular for years, consists of exploring urban places, hence its name, which is a contraction of English urban exploration (urban exploration).

“It is an in-depth visit, an exploration, of neglected, abandoned or unoccupied places,” summarizes with- Nicolas Offenstadt, historian, lecturer at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, author of Urbex. The phenomenon of urban exploration deciphered(Paris, Albin Michel, 2022).

“These places are of great variety: from a small ruined villa to a huge industrial complex to a car cemetery. »

Adrenaline, thrills, art and heritage

While it is difficult to note the origin of this practice, it began to gain momentum in the mid-1990s and was popularized on the internet by Canadian Jeff Chapman, known today as Ninjalicious. deceased.

Aude Le Gallou, doctor in geography, teacher-researcher at the University of Geneva and herself an urbex practitioner, however, insists that this exploration has always existed. “But it has largely gained momentum with social networks. »

Search for adrenaline, thrills, freedom, taste for adventure, artistic motivation (photographic in particular), even interest in heritage… the purpose of urbex varies from one practitioner to another.

A practice that may amount to a violation of property

However, this practice is not without risk. First of all, entering a place without authorization is often illegal.

Even if it is abandoned and no one commits any offense to enter it, this place most of the time belongs to someone: an individual or a community. Getting caught involves a risk of being arrested, having your equipment confiscated, or being fined.

An offense which can be compared to a violation of private property, punishable by a sentence of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros, according to article 226-4 of the Penal Code.

“Military compounds and that of the SNCF are governed by specific articles of the Penal Code or the Transport Code, with significant sanctions provided for in the event of violation (even imprisonment), underlines Nicolas Offenstadt. “But if you enter an old building or factory without fences or signs, in ruins, whose owner is no longer really identified, the risks are low. »

Very real accident risks

The historian points out other very real risks:

You can have bad encounters, because these places are sometimes used for various illicit activities. Finally, and above all, there is the risk of an accident linked to the state of buildings, which are often dilapidated and not maintained: ceilings, floors, roofs or staircases which collapse in particular.

This is also what seems to have happened to the young girl, who according to the mayor of the city, questioned by France Bleu Loire, fell through the roof of an abandoned factory, closed for 14 years. Another also fell, but survived. She is currently hospitalized.

Rules… not respected by everyone

For this reason, the urbex community sets guidelines to follow to avoid dramatic accidents: do not damage anything, do not force anything, do not take anything and do not disclose the location so as not to expose it to too many visits.

“That said, other urbexers do not want to be bound by these rules for a practice that aims to be free,” recognizes Nicolas Offenstadt.

With the advent of Instagram or TikTok, where many Internet users and influencers film their explorations, we find increasingly younger profiles, some of whom “use these places to put themselves forward,” specifies Aude Le Gallou. Enough to sometimes forget essential rules.

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