New evidence included in the case file regarding the collapse of the apartment building in Petralona reveals that the supervising engineers had identified problems at the construction site severalseveral hours before the incident. The messages they exchanged, the tenants’ testimonies, the technical assessments, and the findings of the police investigation paint a picture of a case in which authorities are examining whether the necessary shoring measures were not taken during the excavations.
The text messages revealing that they were aware of the danger
Mega has brought to light the messages exchanged between two civil engineers just hours before the apartment building collapsed, presenting new evidence from the police investigation.
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According to the report, at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, one of the supervising engineers sent a message to a colleague who was not at the construction site, writing:
“Good morning, the leak next door is more extensive than we thought, and we have a problem there; we’ll probably need another ‘cabinet.’”
In technical terminology, a “cabinet” is a shoring box, which is used to support adjacent structures during deep excavations. As for the “leak,” it is believed to involve sewage that had made the ground even more unstable.
According to the same sources, the excavation had already reached a considerable depth without the necessary shoring measures having been taken in a timely manner. Reports indicate that, under these circumstances, a concrete retaining wall made of rapid-setting concrete should have been constructed immediately to protect the foundations of the neighboring apartment building.
The Hellenic Police investigation and residents’ statements
The Hellenic Police have gathered dozens of statements and a wealth of technical evidence, which now form part of the case file.
Among the statements are those of six to seven tenants of the apartment building. One of them reported that shortly before the collapse, a mechanic rang the apartment doorbells to inform residents that there was a problem.
Source: KYPE
