The explosion blew away part of a building and caused the death of three people. More than 10 years after the events, the trial opens this Monday, from 1:30 p.m., before the Reims criminal court. Three defendants will be tried for manslaughter, nearly 11 years after the collapse of an HLM bar, in the Wilson district, in Reims (Marne), on April 28, 2013. The explosion was caused by a gas leak, the origin of which has, even today, still not been precisely established. 16 people were injured in the disaster.
Three defendants called to the stand
More than 10 years after the explosion in this HLM bar then approximately 50 meters high, two companies and one person will appear. First there is the Reims company Field mouse who had installed the boilers in the building and the Nancy company Must Multiservices who was responsible for maintenance. The only person who will appear is a technician from the latter company, he had been in the building some time before the disaster.
Since then, three buildings, including the one that was blown up by the explosion, have been completely destroyed and replaced by other buildings and pavilions. But the pain is still there for the victims. “I don’t have nightmares anymore, but I did for years where I kept hearing these children’s voices screaming “mom”, says Maëlle Varenne-Daniélewski, who lived in the building opposite with her mother, who has since died. She was 18 years old at the time of the disaster. “Today, everything that is the noise of a moped, big booms, a falling box, etc. As soon as something falls, it still grabs me years later.“Several residents of the neighborhood and children of victims are filing civil suits, they all hope to have answers about what happened on April 28, 2013, at 11:20 a.m.
