Three dead in Switzerland scaffolding collapse
Emergency crews work at the site of building folllowing scaffolding incident, in Prilly, Switzerland, July 12, 2024, in this screen grab taken from a video. Raphael Jotterand/PHOTO via REUTERS
Three people were killed and several others seriously injured after scaffolding collapsed outside a 19-storey building in a suburb of the Swiss city of Lausanne on Friday, authorities said.
The three deceased were workers on the building site in their 30s and 40s from France, Switzerland and Cape Verde, officials from the French-speaking canton of Vaud said in a statement. Eight others were injured in the accident, including four with serious injuries, they said.
A Reuters witness saw dozens of emergency workers and firemen working on the site at nightfall to prevent further falls and remove a pile of debris around 10 metres (33 feet)high.
The Public Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal investigation, the canton said.