James O'Brien 10am - 1pm
Mystery as famous Moulin Rouge windmill blades collapse overnight onto Paris street
25 April 2024, 09:12
The blades of the famous Moulin Rouge windmill in Paris have fallen off overnight.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Parisians woke up to the sight of the blades from the windmill on top of the venerable nightclub lying on the pavement.
No reason has yet been given for the collapse of the blades. No one was hurt when they fell to the ground.
Authorities have been seen collecting the blades and removing them.
They said that there was no further danger of other items falling from the nightclub roof.
Read more: Two Household Cavalry horses 'in serious condition' after London rampage
Read more: Teacher ‘lucky to be alive’ after three injured in horror playground attack in Wales
“We don't know what happened, it occurred between 02:00 and 03:00 am, no one was hurt,” a venue spokesperson said,
An official at the venue told AFP that the venue’s technical team checks the windmill mechanism every week and did not note any problems during the last inspection.
Images on social media showed the blade unit lying on the street below, with some of the blades slightly bent.
"Fortunately, this happened after closing," a source said.
"Every week, the cabaret's technical teams check the windmill mechanism and did not note any problems.
"It's the first time that an accident like this has happened,” they added.
Moulin Rouge is best known by many as the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance.