Moulin Rouge: The iconic Paris cabaret sees its wings fall off in the middle of the night

A tragedy was undoubtedly narrowly averted on the night of Wednesday 24 April 2024 in the Pigalle district in the heart of Paris. The famous wings of the Moulin Rouge fell down. Between 2 and 3 a.m., the metal structure of the Parisian cabaret collapsed. Three letters of the sign - the first three - were also swept away, ending up some ten meters below.

As reported by the French publication Le Parisien, there were no injuries. Thankfully, the establishment was closed when the wings broke off. The causes of the accident are not yet known. On French TV channel TF1, Laurent Nuñez, the capital's Prefect of Police, said that 'security architects from the Prefecture de Police' had been sent to the scene.

The management of the legendary Parisian establishment was at a loss to understand. Fanny Rabasse, the Moulin Rouge's press officer, told Le Parisien that she had 'no explanation for what happened at the moment'.

Criminality has been ruled out

Still talking to Le Parisien, Fanny Rabasse added:

The wings are very well maintained, and in addition to an outside organisation that comes to check them every two months, our technical teams visit them once a week to look at their structure and mechanism.

She also point out that, at the time of the incident, the Moulin Rouge should be empty, apart from members of the security team.

Talking to TF1, Jean-Victor Clerico, the cabaret's general manager, also explained:

The wings are regularly maintained: we have visits every two months by an outside organization, and our technical teams check them every week. We're a bit stunned,

Giving a bit more detail about what occurring at the time, he continued, relieved:

It seems that the wings weren't turning at the time. The establishment was closed, there was no audience and there weren't many people left on the sidewalk,

The fire department, who took a tour of the famous building, assured the public that there was no danger of it collapsing. For their part, the management of the Moulin Rouge ruled out the possibility of a 'malicious act'.

Moulin Rouge to open Thursday evening, April 25

This is the first time such an incident has occurred. Continuing to address it on TF1, a confident Jean-Victor Clerico continued:

We'll be taking stock of the situation with the technical teams, then consulting the body that comes to check the wings every two months, and answering questions from the police. But I think we'll soon get to the bottom of the situation

On the evening of Thursday 25 April, the iconic cabaret is expected to reopen its doors and put on a show. Celebrating its 135th anniversary in October 2024, the Moulin Rouge has only had one other accident in its history: a major fire caused by construction work in 1915, which led to a long period of closure.

This article has been translated from Femme Actuelle.

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Sources:

Le Parisien: « On a évité le pire » : à Paris, les ailes du Moulin Rouge se sont décrochées

TF1 on X