Seven years after a deadly gas explosion in Paris, victims seek justice as the city hall faces trial for involuntary homicide.
Explosion's tragic impact
More than seven years after a deadly gas explosion on Trévise Street in Paris, the trial of the city hall has reignited the trauma for victims seeking full compensation. The incident occurred on January 12, 2019, when an explosion destroyed the ground floor of a building across from where Ameroche Tahir-Kaci, a 60-year-old former maintenance technician, was having coffee.Casualties and injuries
The blast killed four people, including two firefighters, a Spanish tourist, and a woman living above the explosion site, and injured approximately 200 others. Ameroche described the scene as "war wounds," having suffered a severe abdominal injury.Survivors' ongoing struggles
Amor Ben Taziri, a hotel receptionist, lost an eye and walks with a cane due to multiple fractures. Samia Maktouf, a lawyer for the victims, noted that some survivors experience post-traumatic stress symptoms similar to those of attack victims.Pre-explosion warnings
Linda Zaourar, a former hotel director and president of the association of Victims of the Trévise Street survivors (Vret), recalled smelling gas days before the explosion but was told it could not be from the hotel, which used the Paris heating network. She expressed regret that a Spanish tourist couple, Luis Miguel and Laura, were not given a room facing the courtyard instead of the street, which might have saved Laura's life and prevented her three children from becoming orphans.Legal proceedings begin
Nearly eight years after the explosion, the City of Paris and the building syndic are appearing before the criminal court for involuntary homicides. Dominique Paris, president of Trévise ensemble, described the situation as an "endless day," noting that it took three years to obtain an indemnification framework agreement with the City of Paris, which was then led by socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo.Criticism of city hall
Linda Zaourar criticized the city hall for not considering the victims and noted that Hidalgo attended tribute ceremonies without her tricolor scarf. The trial is expected to establish responsible parties and provide an apology, according to Dominique Paris. Me Maktouf, however, noted that only legal entities are being judged, and there may be a physical person behind the negligence.
