The Commercial Center of Peru whose dome has collapsed killing six people was “a time bomb”

The dome of Real Shopping Center Plaza de la Ciudad Peruana de Trujill Or, which collapsed and caused at least six deaths on the busy Friday night, was the symbol of this establishment, the largest of its kind in the country outside of Lima and was defined as a “time bomb” by the Former town mayor, Arturo Fernández.

So far, there are four confirmed deaths, a man, a woman, a teenager and a girl, and there is an undetermined number of missing under the rubble. The number of injured is 79 people, among which there are eleven minors who are “quite serious”, according to the head of the National Institute of Civil Defense in La Libertad, Hipólito Cruchaga.

The great dome fell around 20.40 (1.40 on Saturday GMT) on Lto restaurants area of ​​the mall, where there was also a child fun park and access to cinemas.

The authorities have explained that, to lift the remains of the dome, a specialized 200 tons that has not yet reached the accident zone is needed.

The Royal Plaza de Trujillo is the largest shopping center in Peru outside Lima 220,000 square meters And it was a shelter for its citizens, because this town, considered the third in the country, has been in a state of emergency for months by a wave of crime.

On December 29, 2023, the Municipality of Trujillo ordered to close it for structural deficiencies, which generated complaints between politicians and business unions. When this measure was announced, the shopping center itself issued a statement in which it affirmed that the observations made by the authorities did not represent “an imminent danger” or were cause for the closure of the establishment.

A week later, on January 4, 2024, Real Plaza Trujillo announced its reopening by ensuring that the facilities were in “perfect condition.” Just when the initial closure is announced, the then mayor of the city, who is now a fugitive, Arturo Fernández, had warned that this shopping center was not safe.

“I came telling the population, not to go to ‘Mall Plaza’ or the Real Plaza, because they do not have the conditions (…) I think the time is right, because there is no ambulance,” he said Fernández, adding that the real square “is to demolish it because it does not work, it is a time bomb.” He said that this does not offer the necessary guarantees to continue operating normally and that he does not comply with the law, something that tried to communicate to the citizens of his jurisdiction.

The Risk and Civil Defense Management Manager, Moisés Hurtado, explained this Saturday from the place of the accident that in the inspection they did in 2023 that allowed reopening, focused on the electrical structure of the building and that the dome depended on the maintenance of the maintenance of the maintenance of the mall.

The Public Ministry reported shortly after the event that began investigations to determine the responsibilities of the accident investigates a possible crime against life, body and health, and documentation has been seized to determine whether there was malicious or guilty negligence.

The Royal Plaza chain, operated by the Intercorp company, has 21 shopping centers in 13 cities in the country and some also have this type of domes. Users have commented on social networks failures in these buildings following the tragedy.