The balcony of a fourth-floor apartment collapsed during a housewarming party.
Eighteen young people had fallen.
Four of them lost their lives.
Five professionals involved in the design and construction are judged.
On the second day of the trial of the collapsed balconies of Angers, scheduled to last nearly four weeks, the criminal court looked into the course of the evening of the tragedy on Thursday.
It was President Catherine Menardais who told the story.
A “terrible to hear” moment for the dozens of civil parties present at the hearing.
This Saturday, October 15, 2016, at 25 rue Maillé, on the edge of downtown Angers, the sisters Mathilde and Bérénice Rondeau are celebrating their move into apartment no. 17 located on the fourth floor of a residence.
About thirty guests are invited from 7 p.m. to this "housewarming party", including parents in the early evening.
The party proceeds normally, with music.
Young people go alternately to the balcony to take the air and smoke.
“It appears from the file and the various hearings that the young people partied without excess, without particular noise, without nervousness or dance movements on the balcony”, insists the president of the court.
"We found ourselves facing a huge block of concrete"
Around 11 p.m., when 18 people were on the balcony, it “unhooked and collapsed suddenly, dragging down the balconies on the lower level in its fall”.
They end on a terrace, 8.50 m lower.
“We heard a loud crash.
I opened the shutter and realized that the balconies had crashed.
It formed a pile more than 1.50 m high, ”says the occupant of the accommodation located just in front of the terrace.
“We found ourselves facing a huge block of concrete, smoke, says his sister, also present that evening.
There were young people in a state of shock, others who were screaming.
Others rang the doorbell to access the rubble and rescue their comrades.
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Help is called at 11:07 p.m. by Mathilde.
Police and firefighters arrive almost “immediately”.
They note the presence of “four bodies buried under the rubble”.
Rescue operations are “very delicate”.
The terrace, which overlooks a garage, could itself collapse with the weight of the balconies (four tons).
A medical station is hastily set up, a security perimeter established.
Multiple lesions and fractures
The deaths of four victims are announced.
Two are identified on the spot: Antoine Courgeon, 21, and Benjamin Groud-Brisset, 23.
Two others will only be "several hours later": Lou Chéné, 18, and Baptiste Ferchaud, 25.
"There was no autopsy as the causes of death are obvious," says Catherine Menardais.
Forensic doctors describe "multiple lesions and fractures", "polycranial and thoracic trauma".
At the same time, 14 injured young people were taken to the Angers University Hospital and the Anjou clinic, including one “in absolute urgency”.
The hospital white plan is activated.
A psychological help cell is set up.
Rue Maillé is stunning.
The survivors of the apartment are taken care of, before being interviewed.
Some had just left the balcony for a drink when the accident happened.
The entire building is evacuated.
A room is open in the street to shelter them.
The adjacent streets, swept by ambulance flashing lights, are cordoned off.
The mayor of Angers arrives on site, as do some parents, including those of Antoine Courgeon.
“This balcony could support more than thirty people”
On the back of the building, the remnants of the metal fixings of the balconies are exposed.
Those on the fourth floor were twisted.
The facade showed “black scratches and traces of water infiltration”.
The coating “showed obvious signs of degradation”.
The expert reports will demonstrate much later the existence of serious defects in the construction.
The balcony should never have fallen, even though 18 people were on it.
“It is accepted that the 18 people did not cause an overload.
This balcony could support more than thirty people.
We will come back to this but it is a cause that has already been ruled out, ”says the president of the court.
Five professionals who participated in the design of this building delivered in 1998 are being prosecuted for homicide and involuntary injuries: the architect, the former manager of the structural work company (Bonnel company), the works supervisor, the site manager and the technical controller.
They told this Thursday how they learned the facts, Sunday, October 16, 2016. The victims and families of victims are invited to testify next Monday.
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