On Wednesday, the ceiling collapsed at the former bus station in Mława. According to the fire brigade, three people were found under the rubble. Two are dead. A search operation was carried out in the rubble using dogs. No one was found. District Prosecutor in Mława, Marcin Bagiński, said that an investigation will definitely be initiated into the collapse of the hall.
As Jacek Dryll from the State Fire Service District Headquarters in Mława told us, the incident took place at the old PKS bus base at Grota-Roweckiego Street.
Two people are dead
Nine fire brigades, three ambulance crews and three rescue helicopters were dispatched to the site. – A total of three people were found under the rubble, Dryll said. – Two people were rescued. We've reached the third one, but it hasn't been extracted yet. The doctor pronounced her dead, he said on TVN24.
Later, the spokesman for the Provincial Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Warsaw, Karol Kroć, announced that one of the rescued people had died.
The second one was taken to the hospital in Płońsk. She was conscious.
Łukasz Tomasik, a doctor from the hospital in Mława who took part in the rescue operation, explained that the owner of the company whose employees were in the hall was also slightly injured in the incident. The man was taken to a hospital in Mława.
– The man was lucky. Due to the falling ceiling, a gust of air was created, which threw him out of the hall. He was slightly injured in the back, the doctor said.
– The second person injured in this incident had very serious injuries. The man had numerous fractures: lower leg, humerus, crushed fingers, Tomasik said. He explained that the injured person was in a basket on a lift. He stood there with another man and they did the work.
– When the basket fell, it covered his head and chest. Thanks to this, he did not suffer injuries that could have caused his death. Unfortunately, his friend died, the doctor said.
After 3 p.m., two other injured people also reported to paramedics. – They were not injured, but they were strongly influenced by the event. They were handed over to medical services, said Senior Brig. Karol Kierzkowski.
The steel and concrete elements of the hall's structure were at risk of collapse. Therefore, the search operation for people who may still have been in the rubble was temporarily suspended. It was necessary to strengthen the structure for the safety of rescuers.
Rescue dogs in action
Before 2 p.m. the action was resumed.
– We are searching the remaining rubble for injured people. A specialist search group from Nidzica and a search group with dogs from Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki were dispatched to the site, said Jacek Dryll. There are also specialized units from Warsaw and Ostróda.
– In the first phase of activities, depending on the type of materials that are lying around, we primarily use pneumatic and hydraulic equipment. Using air and hydraulic oil under pressure, we remove large elements that we cannot lift by force to reach the injured people – explained Dryll.
Marek Karpowicz from the Volunteer Fire Department Water Rescue in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki reported that the dog Max entered the rubble. – It's safe enough for him to start working. We will check the rubble area both from the ground using a dog and from the air – said the rescuer.
He later reported that Max had found no one. Firefighters were waiting for the second dog to arrive to search the rubble again.
– These are the procedures. This must be confirmed by the other dog. If he also fails to find anyone, the search operation will be ended, Karpowicz added.
– Rescue dogs searched the rubble after the roof and one of the walls of the hall collapsed. No person has been found. The search operation has ended – said before 5 p.m. the press spokesman for the Chief Commander of the State Fire Service, Brig. Karol Kierzkowski.
Three LPR helicopters participated in the rescue operationwml24.pl
Monitoring was installed in the hall
Witold Okumski, starosta of Mława, clarified on TVN24 that the accident occurred at a private diagnostic station, where works related to the installation of monitoring were in progress.
– The area previously functioned as a bus depot – explained Okumski.
The starosta pointed out that the people who suffered injuries were not employees of the diagnostic station, but employees of the company that performed the work on its behalf.
– In my opinion, the station was not currently operating – added Okumski.
The hall that collapsed in Mława is located on the site of the former PKS bus depot at ul. Grota-Roweckiego. According to police findings, in one part there was a vehicle inspection station, in the other part renovation and assembly works were carried out.
Prosecutor's office investigation
District Prosecutor in Mława, Marcin Bagiński, said that an investigation will definitely be initiated into the collapse of the hall. – Initially, I can say that there will be two directions in this proceeding: one regarding causing a construction disaster, and the other – an accident at work – noted the prosecutor. He added that prosecutors worked at the scene of the incident on Wednesday and conducted a limited inspection, the so-called spatial, due to the fact that apart from the roof and one of the walls, the remaining part of the hall may be at risk of collapse.
– For safety reasons, an internal inspection will be possible after the decision of the services, including the district construction supervision inspector – emphasized the prosecutor. He explained that as part of the activities preceding the initiation of the investigation, the prosecutors present at the scene collected, among others: “necessary documentation regarding the disclosure of the body.”
– In further activities, also carried out on site, the evidence will be gradually expanded – said prosecutor Bagiński.
The police and fire brigade announced on Wednesday that their units would remain at the site of the collapse of part of the hall, securing, among other things, rubble in front of bystanders.
Main photo source: PAP/Marcin Obara