Shortly after the accident, it was acknowledged that two Portuguese had died, but the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities, José Cesário, later confirmed that one Portuguese had died and another was seriously injured.
The Portuguese appear to have dual citizenship, as Vaud police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel said the dead were “a 43-year-old Swiss, a 35-year-old Cape Verdean and a 30-year-old Frenchman.”
Without giving the nationalities of the wounded, Jean-Christophe Sauterelle added that eight people were injured, six of whom were hospitalized, four seriously. Authorities admit that there may be more victims among the rubble, which had not yet been completely cleared by the end of Friday.
The Vaud prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal case to establish the circumstances and causes of the incident. Swiss newspaper Le Temps reported that the accident at 8:25 a.m. (Lisbon time) may have been caused by a freight elevator falling from the 13th floor, dragging workers who were on the scaffolding.
Author: Joao Saramago
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.