One killed after floor collapses at construction site

7 August 2008

BELGIUM – A floor collapsed at a construction site in Heule, leaving one dead and three other injured.

The accident happened at a construction site near the Zonnebloem, a home for handicapped children, where a new wing is being built.

Constructions workers were finishing a concrete floor, when it suddenly collapsed. A cement mason was covered by the rubble and died on the spot.

A construction worker sustained heavy injuries while two others suffered slight injuries.

Another man had his legs crushed by fallen concrete beams. The victim had to be rescued, but emergency teams had to be very careful, as the whole building could collapse. It took the rescue teams almost two hours to free the man.

The cause of the collapse is not known yet.

The construction site may also have been to be demolished in order for rescue teams to retrieve the corpse of the dead victim.

[flandersnews.be / Expatica]