After the collapse of the roadway in a square in Amiens, the city's risk management department conducted the investigation. And determined the reasons for the disaster.
Hole formed in the city center of Amiens.
During a patrol, a municipal police patrol was surprised to discover in the city center of Amiens (Picardy) a huge hole at the foot of a brewery. The excavation, located at Place Debouverie, is 10 meters wide and 4 to 5 meters deep, reported the town hall in a press release published on August 12, 2019. This formation - which fortunately did not no injuries - now has an explanation.
Many cellars listed on a map dating from 1946
According to investigations carried out by the Amiens risk management department, "the main cause of the formation of an excavation in the roadway at Place Léon Debouverie lies in the presence of a medieval cellar dating from the 14th century> ", explains the city on its website. "Even if a leak on the water network cannot be completely ruled out, it is likely that the high temperatures recorded this summer contributed to ground movements, causing a weakening of the cellar, located on the second level. On this space, we note the presence of many cellars, listed on a map dating from 1946" at the time of the reconstruction of Amiens after the Second World War during which the city suffered heavy bombardments. On Friday August 16, 2019, technicians should use a camera to explore the cellars located at the foot of the shops in Place Debouverie in order to establish a plan for the repair of the roadway.
This plan dating from 1946 shows the presence of numerous cellars at the level of the squares in Amiens. Credit:Amiens Town Hall
Disturbance for local residents after the appearance of the hole
The water and gas supplies had previously been cut off in order to avoid an incident in the area. On August 13, electricity, gas and water were being restored "to supply nearby residents ". Telecommunications companies should intervene today, Wednesday August 14, 2019, on the telephone and fiber optic network. About 900 subscribers could be affected by outages during the day according to the town hall.