The terrace of the multi-purpose hall in Saint-Pierre, in Cantal, collapsed while a wedding was being celebrated there. One person died and four were taken to hospital in an emergency.
The tragedy occurred around 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 27. A wedding was just beginning to be celebrated in the multipurpose hall of Saint-Pierre, in Cantal. The guests were gathered on the 100 m² wooden terrace when it gave way, according to information from France Blue Country of AuvergneThe department’s prefecture reports that a 69-year-old woman died of cardiac arrest and that four others were taken to hospital in an emergency, although their prognosis was not life-threatening. 35 people, who were injured, but less seriously, were also taken to hospital.
According to the commander of the Mauriac gendarmerie company, Fabrice Allaizeau, BFMTV“there were emergency professionals present at this wedding”, which greatly facilitated the intervention of the emergency services.
An open medical-psychological emergency unit
Emergency services were quickly dispatched to the scene, including “firefighters, police and civil protection”, accompanied by “four helicopters, 20 vehicles, 57 firefighters” as well as reinforcements from Corrèze and Puy-de-Dôme, the prefecture explained.
The Orsec plan, an emergency rescue plan deployed in the event of serious events, has been triggered in several hospitals in the prefecture. Those in Mauriac and Aurillac, where the injured are being treated, are affected by the white plan, a specific health emergency plan in health establishments. A medical-psychological unit has also been opened for victims and witnesses of the tragedy. An investigation has been opened for homicide and unintentional injuries. According to initial studies, the room built in 2010 was regularly used and could accommodate up to 240 people. Daniel Salvary, the mayor of the town, assured BFMTV that the room was “assessed like all municipal rooms”.