Do you look up while you are walking in the centre of Eindhoven? I think you should because Eindhoven’s skyline may not be safe anymore.
On Saturday afternoon, 30 March, a weird and very dangerous incident occurred. And I was caught in the middle of it. First, I heard some smashing sounds. Soon enough, I realised that some objects were falling down. When I look up carefully, I noticed a construction lift was moving up the outer side of the Onyx Skyscraper construction, and as it moved, pieces of bricks and concrete were falling down on pedestrians, cyclist and vehicles. Some people, including me, shouted and tried to get the attention of two workers on the lift. But we were not successful.
My girlfriend and I were the first people who ran into the police station and informed the officers about the incident.
When we left the police station, there were more people outside. It turned out that some cars were damaged by the falling stones.
More people arrived at the police station to complain.
- At least two cars were damaged by the falling objects. In the above photo, owners of those cars are making their complaints. In the following minutes, police officers took those people into the station to file the official complaints.
Eindhoven police swiftly secured the area
The Police were quite quick, and they swiftly blocked Mathildelaan for traffic.
- In less than five minutes, police officers had already started warning pedestrians and cyclists and did not let them pass through the affected area by the falling objects.
- Soon enough, reinforcements had arrived, and police started blocking off the road.
- For about half an hour, one direction in front of the Onyx skyscraper was blocked temporarily by the Police in the direction from Philips Stadium towards 18 Septemberplein.
- There were at least eight to ten officers securing Mathildelaan to prevent any further damage and injury of pedestrians and cyclists.
Meanwhile, as all these events were taking place, a big crane of the same company that is building Onyx, was working 200 meters away in, literally, the most crowded area of the city on Saturdays – 18 Septemberplein.
- Renovation of one of the main buildings in the city centre has been undertaken by the same construction company, Stam de Koning.
Police officers were able to make contact with the workers. After the lift arrived, police started questioning the workers.
- One of the police officers was waiting on the bicycle road to ensure that no one used the bicycle road next to the building while the lift, carrying the two workers who caused the stone rain, was coming down slowly.
- After the lift came down, two police officers went to question the two workers who were on the lift during ”the stone rain”. Meanwhile, the blockage on Mathildelaan was being removed.
After 25-30 minutes of chaos, Mathildelaan was opened to traffic again.
It is still unclear why and how this incident happened and if there were enough safety precautions for the workers as well as for the citizens.
Also, there are many new plans for the constructions of skyscrapers and tall buildings in the Eindhoven centre in the coming years.
For now, my advice is: do not walk very close by the Onyx Skyscraper until it is finished and look up every now and then.
For Eindhoven News: Erdem Cerit
Editor: Melinda Walraven
