"Paris airport architect rushes back"

Monday, May 24, 2004

Airport architect rushes back
Agence France Presse


Beijing, China - FRENCH architect Paul Andreu, who designed the terminal
at Charles de Gaulle airport where a walkway collapsed killing five,
refused to speculate on the cause today but said he would immediately
return to France.

"I'm cutting short my stay here. I am shocked and will return tomorrow
(Tuesday) to Paris," he told AFP in Beijing where he is working on the
city's new landmark National Theatre.

"I don't for a minute want to speculate on what might be the cause of
the accident. On my return, I will place myself at the disposal of the
French airport authorities."

He said the design of the terminal might have been "bold", but the
materials used were "nothing revolutionary".

At least five people were killed and three others injured yesterday when
the roof of a walkway that had opened just 11 months ago collapsed at
Paris' main Charles de Gaulle airport. 

Several tonnes of concrete, metal bars and glass panelling came crashing
down on an arrival and departure passageway at the airport's futuristic
Terminal 2E, strewing rubble over a 30-metre area.

A section of the glass-encased walkway caved in, falling on to service
vehicles parked below.

At least one of the dead was Chinese, a man identified by Xinhua news
agency as Wu Xin, a member of a Chinese trade delegation. A woman member
of the delegation was "missing", Xinhua added.

A Czech woman was also identified among the dead although the
nationalities of the other victims were not immediately known.


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