Treviso Street explosion: The trial of the City of Paris opens this Tuesday for seven weeks

The trial of the City of Paris and the building's syndic over an accidental gas explosion that killed four people and injured more than 200 has begun this Tuesday. The incident occurred on January 12, 2019, in the Rue de Trévise in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, near the Grands Boulevards. The explosion destroyed one building and damaged around 15 others. Among the victims were two firefighters who had arrived at the scene approximately ten minutes earlier due to a strong smell of gas. The trial, which will last seven weeks, involves 200 civil parties seeking compensation for damages caused by the disaster, which affected nearly 400 residents. The explosion was traced back to a sudden collapse of the sidewalk in front of the building’s entrance. According to investigators, the City of Paris failed to conduct necessary investigations into the cause of the sidewalk collapse, which began as early as 2015. This collapse led to the rupture of a gas pipeline, triggering the explosion. The syndic of the building was also found responsible for delaying repairs to the wastewater collector in the building, despite being informed of a leak as early as November 25, 2015. The judicial investigation relied on two expert reports completed in late 2019 and 2020, followed by a counter-expertise in 2023. Additional expert assessments conducted during the civil proceedings yielded varying conclusions. One expert suggested that GRDF, the gas company, could be held responsible, although the company was not prosecuted criminally and instead became a civil party in the case. The trial has been criticized for its delayed start, with one of the lawyers representing the civil parties, Me Samia Maktouf, stating that seven years is too long. However, she noted that the trial would provide victims with an opportunity to be heard and have their grievances acknowledged. On the other hand, the City of Paris, represented by its attorneys, expressed deep solidarity with the victims while asserting that its services acted diligently and professionally, and that no negligence on its part contributed to the accident. A notable aspect of the trial is that the proceedings of the Paris Correctional Court will be broadcast in delay on a web radio station accessible to the victims. This arrangement is justified by the national significance of the case, the large number of civil parties, their logistical challenges in traveling to court, and the extended duration of the trial.