Two injured in collapse in Kyiv's central square (07/22/01)

Two injured in collapse in Kyiv's central square

by Maryna Makhnonos
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

KYIV - Two workers were injured as a 60-ton concrete platform collapsed during construction in the capital city's central "Maidan Nezalezhnosti" (Independence Square) in Ukraine's capital Kiev, prompting fears that haste in renovations caused the accident.

The accident occurred on July 12, when a wave of sand hit two workers and then the platform slid onto them.

One worker was injured slightly but declined to be hospitalized.

Another worker was trapped by a layer of sand. A group of construction workers, most of whom were from the Donetsk coal-mining region and knew about mine collapses, dug him out in 10 minutes with shovels and their bare hands.

The worker was hospitalized with two broken legs.

Kyiv City Procurator, Yurii Haisynskyi, said there were no safety violations dismissing fears that the accident could be a result of the construction's fast pace.

"Any construction is a risky type of activity and isn't secured from similar tragedies," Mr. Haisinskyi told the Den daily.

He added that it's hard to determine fault, or whether somebody is guilty at all. The accident is being investigated while construction continues.

Independence Square has been under reconstruction since winter, but radical changes began in June in preparation for celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence scheduled for August. The collapsed platform was the base for the statue of Archangel Michael, who is believed to protect Kyiv.

Meanwhile, the scale of the construction may have caused a tragedy for archeologists, who had battled to preserve parts of 11th century Liadski Gates that were discovered in the epicenter of the construction works early on.

Archeologists were given only a few weeks to research the site and preserve a portion of the gates, as well as dig out ancient crockery and other wares. However, the walls and the ancient artifacts were lost nearly a month ago after what workers said was an "unfortunate accident" destroyed the site.

The Liadski Gates were one of the three entrances to ancient Kyiv built by Prince Yaroslav the Wise who reigned in Kyivan Rus' in the 11th century. The structure remained unchanged until modernization in the 18th century and was buried under a fountain during the Soviet era.

| Home Page |