A landslide which could have turned into a tragedy, in the 3rd arrondissement of Marseille. Tuesday, November 12 in the morning, starting their week, the teachers and 287 students of the Révolution elementary school, rue du jet d'eau, found part of the courtyard of their canteen almost three meters lower after the collapse of its supporting wall. If the space is accessible to them, none of them were there at the time of the landslide on Saturday.
Representing several tons of rubble, the scree ended its course one meter from tables set up outside by the Comptoir de la Victorine associations (3rd), where the artists in residence used to enjoy the fresh air and children's laughter. This is no longer the case with the installation of a security perimeter around the gaping hole, surrounded by barriers from the City's technical services.
A de-waterproofed floor singled out
Among the teachers, one describes the wall that collapsed as “dangerous“. “There was a gap of 20 centimeters between the concrete floor of the courtyard and our shared gardens. We didn't have time to take care of it, it was neglected and rainwater was able to store there.“, he thinks.
Among parents, several argue that “the ground under the courtyard is not stable, we see it with all the irregularities that cause falls“, they say. A risk contradicted by the experts, who assure “that the school building is not impacted“. Anthony Krehmeier, mayor (PS) of the 2nd and 3rd arrondissements, insists: “It is not because there is a shortage of 20 centimeters of shavings in shared gardens that there is a risk. But I understand the parents, they are worried. We will have to extend our vigilance to areas around schools from now on, because this one in particular has never been on the radar“.
