Alex Trelinski
FOUR passengers escaped with only minor injuries after part of a Valencia Airport departure lounge ceiling collapsed on them.
Airport operator, Aena, said the incident happened at 6.45pm on Sunday and the travellers were able to continue to with their journeys after getting medical treatment.
They also inhaled dust generated by the collapse as it has been revealed that a Guardia Civil officer warned people shortly before to move to another part of the lounge as a precaution.
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A wooden structure and part of the ceiling then came crashing down on the four travellers.
The people affected were all Spanish, namely two sisters from Sevilla, a woman from Biscay, and a man from the Bilbao area.
One those injured- the Bilbao man, 34, known as J.B.- told the Las Provincias newspaper: “I heard a thunderous noise and then I noticed how several pieces of debris hit me on the head and arms.”
“We were very lucky and the worst thing was the fear and the psychological trauma.”
Carmen Recio from Sevilla told Las Provincias: “It was horrible. I felt several blows on my body and the room was filled with a cloud of debris and dust.”
“We couldn’t breathe well and in fact when we blew our noses, everything came out black,” she added.
“The staff were very friendly, but we got no explanation as to what happened and why not more was done if the Guardia Civil knew there was an issue with the roof, “ said J.B.
Aena has opened an investigation into what caused the collapse especially as it was an area of ceiling that did not support an especially large amount of weight.
A source said that the part of the airport where the ceiling fell had been revamped ‘very recently’ and that it undergoes periodic “maintenance”.
