Roof of the shopping center collapsed, six deaths and 78 injuries in Peru

Trujillo (Peru) – On Friday evening, hundreds of people still walked through the Real Plaza shopping center in the Peruvian city of Trujillo when the roof suddenly collapsed above them. Six of the victims died, 78 came to hospitals with serious injuries.

In the meantime there are initial assumptions as it is to the disaster could come.

Roof from the shopping center collapsed via restaurants

The circular roof collapsed over the gastro area of ​​the shopping center. Hundreds of firefighters and police officers searched for hours in the ruins of Shopping center.

According to the Peruvian daily newspaper “Commerce“The number of fatalities has now increased to six. Five people died on site, a man (83) later died in the hospital. Among the Deaths is also a little girl (8).

A total of 78 injuries came to the hospital, 30 the clinics have now left.

Boy had to be amputated

During the search, the Rescue workers also on a pinched boy. Because of its complicated location, the rescuers had to amputate his leg. In a heartbreaking video on social media you can see the reaction of his family on the dramatic rescue of the child.

According to users on social media, the boy was in the shopping center with a woman (21). She is said to have died when a metal pillar fell on her head.

Pinched victims call for help

Several people were caught in the ruins for hours, called for help, and also invited videos to social media to draw attention to themselves.

According to Francisco Jaramillo from the Peruvian regulatory authority Ositrán, construction defects could be responsible for the tragedy. It has been raining in Trujillo for days that the water could have accumulated on the roof until it finally collapsed under the load.

Are construction defects the cause of the collapse?

“It is up to the structural engineer to determine the overload that can endure the structure. In this case, the additional safety factor defined in the technical building form was apparently exceeded, ”Jaramillo is quoted in Peruvian media.

César Acuña Peralta, governor of the administrative region La Libertad, whose capital is Trujillo, calls for a “thorough investigation”. The public prosecutor has initiated investigations against Real Plaza. In addition to the shopping center in Trujillo, the company runs almost two dozen shopping centers all over Peru.

La Libertad proclaimed national grief for the weekend.