Cause unclear after church roof collapses
Following the collapse of a church roof in Kassel, the cause remains unclear. "At the moment, it is still too early to say anything," said Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda on Tuesday during a site visit to the Elisabeth Church in Kassel. The building was to be inspected with the help of a drone on Tuesday afternoon, explained Franz Bartmann from the administrative board of the parish. The aim was to check whether the outer walls were stable and whether the adjacent living and office spaces could be used again.
The roof of the Catholic church in the city center collapsed along its entire length on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, a man had been in the building as a supervisor. He was in an area where the roof had not broken through to the ground. The man had suffered a shock, but was physically unharmed, said Bartmann. "We are very saddened by what happened here, but at the same time grateful that no one was directly injured," emphasized Gerber.
Until the incident, there had been no indication that anything was wrong with the roof structure, said the head of the central administration of the diocese of Fulda, Vicar General Prelate Christof Steinert. "We are faced with a mystery." It was possible that moisture had penetrated during the severe storm in Kassel on June 22, Bartmann speculated. But that is pure speculation.
Last year, as part of the documenta exhibitions in the church, expert reports were drawn up on the ceiling of the building, reported Gerber. "We will take another close look at them." It is now necessary to analyze the damage and clarify how the debris from the roof can be safely removed from the church so that a temporary roof can then be installed for protection, the bishop explained. "We are heading straight into winter and have a water and cold problem."
According to the diocese of Fulda, St. Elisabeth's Church was originally consecrated on November 2, 1777. It was destroyed 80 years ago during the Second World War and then rebuilt. The new Elisabeth Church was consecrated in 1960. In addition to church services, many events take place in the church on Friedrichsplatz.
In light of the church roof emergency, the parish is arranging for a drone inspection to assess the stability of the outer walls and the used areas. Despite the collapse, thankfully, the on-site supervisor escaped unharmed.
Source: www.dpa.com
