Petralona: the investigation into the collapse of the house ran into rubble and bureaucracy

The investigation into the causes of the collapse of an apartment building in Petralona has again run into bureaucracy: experts have been appointed by the prosecutor’s office, the site is guarded, but they cannot conduct a full inspection because the rubble has still not been removed.

We are talking about a house at 20–22 Alkminis Street, which collapsed on June 30 during active work on a neighboring site. Athens News has already written that the four-story building turned into a pile of concrete, reinforcement and debris in a matter of seconds. Miraculously, there were no deaths or injuries: the residents of seven apartments were outside the house at the time of the collapse. Collapse of a house in Petralona: residents warned about the tilt, but the project did not require strengthening.

However, the absence of casualties did not cancel the disaster. People lost their homes, documents, furniture, equipment and personal belongings, and the case quickly became not only a construction problem, but also a legal one: it was necessary to establish whether there was a connection between neighboring works, the condition of the old building, warnings to residents and the sudden collapse.

Later, Athens News separately examined that the affected families found themselves in a difficult legal situation: the house collapsed not because of an earthquake or fire, but next to a private construction site, so assistance and compensation did not follow the simple scheme of responding to natural disasters. The municipality of Athens allocated €3,000 per affected family or apartment owner, and some residents received temporary accommodation through housing vouchers, but this did not solve the main issue – who and how will compensate for the lost housing. The house collapsed, and help was stuck between departments.

Experts cannot start work

Now a new delay has been added to the problems of the residents: two experts appointed by the prosecutor’s office to establish the causes of the collapse encountered rubble at the site and unsuitable conditions for inspection. Until the rubble is cleared, they cannot conduct a full autopsy of the building and prepare a report.

According to To Vimain the morning, the head of the Athens prosecutor’s office of first instance, Aristidis Coreas, convened an emergency meeting with the participation of representatives of the municipality of Athens and the periphery of Attica. The goal is to find a solution so that experts can finally enter the site and conduct an inspection.

At the moment, according to Greek media reports, it was not entirely clear who exactly was responsible for removing the rubble: the municipality, regional authorities or another competent authority. The prosecutor’s office, in fact, was faced with a classic Greek administrative exercise: everyone understands what needs to be done urgently, but first they need to find out who has the right to do it. Magnificent bureaucratic gymnastics, if you forget that under the rubble lie people’s personal belongings and possible evidence in the case.

Rubble is not just trash

Clearing the site is necessary not only for sanitation and access for residents to the remaining things. Rubble in such a case is part of the evidence base: concrete, reinforcement, soil, traces of destruction, direction of collapse, condition of the foundation and the neighboring area can give experts answers to key questions.

That is why clearing should not be carried out as a regular removal of construction waste, but under the supervision of specialists. If the debris is not removed correctly, important traces may be destroyed, which may then be impossible to recover. And without an examination, a criminal investigation risks hanging in the air, as often happens when one paper is waiting for another paper, and reality stands nearby and smokes nervously.

According to in.grthe site continues to be guarded around the clock. This is important because not only construction debris remains at the site, but also personal belongings of the residents, as well as materials that may be important to the investigation.

After the meeting they are waiting for a decision

According to latest reports Protothemaafter a meeting at the prosecutor’s office, the situation may be moving from a dead point: clearing the rubble should begin in the near future so that experts can do their work.

But the delay itself has already become a separate symptom. The house collapsed on June 30, the residents lost their apartments, the investigation must establish the reasons, the prosecutor’s office appointed experts – and still the system is stuck with the question of who exactly should remove the rubble. That is, the disaster has already occurred, and the state machine is still looking for the correct box in the administrative file cabinet.

What to install

Experts will have to answer several key questions: what was the condition of the building before the collapse, how serious were the signs of tilting, how was work carried out on the neighboring site, whether additional strengthening measures were required and whether the construction could have affected the stability of the house.

Of particular importance is that residents, according to them, noticed dangerous signs in advance and warned about the tilt of the building. If these reports are confirmed, the investigation will have to find out who saw the problem, who was required to respond and why the house still ended up in a state where it collapsed within a few seconds.

For victims, this is not an abstract examination. Further criminal proceedings, civil suits, compensation and the issue of liability of those who designed, authorized, supervised or carried out work near the old house may depend on the conclusions of specialists.

Main conclusion

The investigation into the Petralona house collapse is now being hampered not by a lack of experts, but by an uncleared site and a dispute over who should remove the rubble. After the intervention of the prosecutor’s office, a solution, according to media reports, should be found in the near future.

But it is important that speed does not replace accuracy. The rubble on Alkminis Street is not just debris from an accident. This is at the same time the property of the residents, material for examination and possible evidence in the case. The main answer depends on how exactly they are removed and what experts have time to record: why the house collapsed and who should be responsible for it.

Source link