The trial into the explosion of a building in the Wilson district, in Reims (Marne), opens this Monday, June 17. It must last three days and the families traumatized by the tragedy are expecting a lot.
It was Sunday April 28, 2013. A gas explosion devastated a building in the Wilson district, in Reims (Marne). Three people were killed, fourteen others injured, and we have not even quantified the psychological and financial consequences for many families.
It took eleven years for the trial to take place, from Monday June 17 to Wednesday 19, at the Reims criminal court. With many questions to which justice must answer, in particular on those responsible for the tragedy, which occurred at number 8 of Beethoven alley (see on the map below).
According to the investigation file, which is very extensive and attempts to reconcile numerous and sometimes divergent expert opinions, the origin of the gas explosion, which occurred at 11:15 a.m., came from an apartment on the first floor. It is the precise source of the explosion that raises questions.
The companies responsible for maintenance visits, whose liability could be recognized, are at the center of the affair. Did the explosion come from a torn gas pipe or from one of the individuals’ gas stoves?
The gas explosion at 8 Allée Beethoven in Reims shattered an entire section of the building.
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© France Télévisions
Foyer Rémois, the lessor, had asked the two companies referred to the court (Must Multi Services and Mulot) to install special gas taps to prevent any accidental leaks. The employee of one of these companies must also be heard by the court: he is also dismissed, like the companies, for involuntary homicide, involuntary injuries with and without ITT of less than three months, involuntary destruction of the property of others.
At the time, Éric Quénard was the first deputy (PS) of Mayor Adeline Hazan. “We did not know how many people could be in the building that had collapsed: it was a Sunday, the families were gathered. There was a lot of concern about the potential number of victims. When a tragedy the same happens, we look for responsibilities But it takes time, here eleven years later it’s a long time to have the answers to all the questions that the residents may have asked themselves, and for them to ask themselves. pose again.”
An association helping victims, still there eleven years later “that the earth shook”, will closely follow the progress of the trial. Which will perhaps bring some relief to the traumatized families of the victims, even if it is late. There are no less than 27 civil parties.
