June 29, 2006
Designers of collapsed building arrested
WARSAW, Poland
Three men who helped design a Polish exhibition hall that collapsed in January, killing 65 people, were arrested on suspicion of endangering lives by failing to meet building codes.
Prosecutors in Katowice, the industrial city where the roof gave way Jan. 28, ordered the men to be held for 48 hours for further questioning. Two of the men were charged with intentionally allowing an accident that endangered lives and the third with unintentionally exposing people to the loss of life.
Among those arrested were two men who designed the building — one of whom was not qualified for the job and tried to commit suicide shortly after the collapse — and a third man who acted as a supervisor.
They could face eight to 12 years in prison if convicted.
The arrests came after a formal investigation found faulty design contributed to the tragedy. Earlier this year, police arrested three managers of the hall, which was built in 2000.
About 500 people were inside the hall when the roof buckled and collapsed under the weight of heavy, wet snow, leading to frantic rescue efforts in freezing temperatures to save those trapped under the twisted wreckage.
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