Death toll from gangway collapse rises to 15
Flags flew at half-mast throughout St Nazaire in France today as the industrial port city mourned the deaths of 15 people killed when a crowded gangway leading to the docked luxury ship Queen Mary 2 suddenly collapsed.
The accident on Saturday in western France at the world’s largest and most expensive ocean liner initially claimed 13 lives, but two more people had died of their injuries by this morning, officials at the local prefecture said.
About 30 others were injured, with some in hospital in serious condition, rescue officials said.
The gangway was installed on Friday for a weekend visit by construction workers and their families prior to the Cunard liner’s maiden voyage which is planned for January.
As dozens of people crowded on to the gangway, the structure collapsed, pulling down scaffolding holding it up at one end and sending adults and children plunging 50 feet to the ground.
It left a horrifying scene of bodies entangled in wreckage.
“The passage gave way and we fell about 50 feet,” said Jason Schmitt, a worker who escaped without injury. “I fell with a minimum of 30 people,” he told France-2 television.
The cause of the collapse was not immediately known. An investigation was underway.
Local leaders had planned a series of celebrations late next month, many residents said. The accident raised doubt about whether such festivities would go on.
“Naval construction is a family that knows how to share its glories and its difficult moments,” St Nazaire mayor Joel Batteux told regional L’Éclair Dimanche newspaper. “But it’s never been as hard as this.”
“We were preparing an important event, but now, it’s out of the question to celebrate,” he said.
The shipyard is to be closed Monday for a day of mourning.
Flags flew at half-mast over police stations and the concrete city hall in St Nazaire, which lives off heavy industries such as ship and airplane construction.
The 21-storey-tall liner was dry-docked at an Atlantic coastal shipyard for finishing touches before its maiden voyage.
Cunard Lines, which operates the vessel and is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation in the United States, said the voyage from Southampton, England, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, would likely go ahead as planned.
“To the best of our knowledge, the ship will sail January 12, as scheduled,” said Julie Davis, a spokeswoman in Miami for Cunard.
Cunard Lines issued a statement offering “thoughts and prayers” for the victims and their families. It made no comment on the accident itself.
French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin were to visit the shipyard today.
Philippe Bouquet-Nadeaud, the shipyard’s head of human resources, said the gangway was installed Friday by a company which specialised in scaffolding for boats.
The accident came just four days after ship completed its second successful sea trial. The first was in September.
The Queen Mary 2 is the world’s largest passenger ship at 1,138 feet (342 meters) long and 238 feet (71 meters) high.
