A week after the apartment building collapsed in Petralona, the scene, still covered in rubble, appears frozen in place, raising concerns both for the progress of the prosecutorial investigation and for the health conditions created as authorities remain inactive in the face of the situation.
Faced with the emergency scene that has taken shape, the head of the Athens First Instance Prosecutor’s Office, Aristeidis Korreas, called a meeting on Tuesday with representatives from the Municipality of Athens and the Region of Attica, in order to find an immediate solution for removing the debris that remains at the site.
According to sources close to the matter, although the Athens First Instance Prosecutor’s Office has appointed two expert investigators to draft an on site inspection report, this has not been possible, since debris still remains at the location.
As a result, the prosecutor moved to call the emergency meeting, bringing in the relevant authorities to resolve this “Gordian knot” and prevent the perpetuation of a situation that could be hiding unknown risks.
So far, according to reports, it remains unclear who is responsible for removing the debris, with prosecutorial sources sounding the alarm and stressing that this is an emergency situation requiring an immediate solution.
That is because, beyond clearing the wreckage from the site of the collapse, personal belongings of the building’s residents are also there, and there may also be health related reasons requiring the immediate removal of the debris, since, according to one resident’s statement, a pet dog went missing during the collapse.
Finally, it is worth noting that the site remains under police guard around the clock, since the investigation into the causes and those responsible for the collapse cannot move forward until the site is first cleared.
