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‘We will rebuild Notre-Dame together’, says France’s Macron

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The soaring spire collapsed in flames, and a church spokesman says the entire wooden interior of the 12th century landmark is burning and likely to be destroyed. (AFP)
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Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. (AFP)
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Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. (AFP)
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Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. (AFP)
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Flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris. (AFP)
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A fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris. (Social media)
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Smoke could be seen billowing out from the top of the medieval cathedral. (Social media)
Updated 16 April 2019
Arab News
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‘We will rebuild Notre-Dame together’, says France’s Macron

  • City Hall spokesman said on Twitter the area was being cleared
  • Paris fire brigade say fire is "potentially linked" to the renovation work
Updated 16 April 2019
Arab News

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild Notre-Dame cathedral on Monday after a blaze devastated large parts of the gothic gem on Monday.

Smoke could be seen billowing out from the top of the medieval cathedral, as flames lept out besides its two bell towers, witnesses said, while black smoke was seen shooting from the base of the spire, which is undergoing renovation.

"Notre-Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations, the epicentre of our lives," Macron told reporters in front of the still burning Paris landmark.

French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a televised speech to the nation because of the blaze.
"Notre-Dame is burning, and I know the sadness, and this tremor felt by so many fellow French people. But tonight, I'd like to speak of hope too," he said, announcing the launch of an fundraising campaign.
"Let's be proud, because we built this cathedral more than 800 years ago, we've built it and, throughout the centuries, let it grow and improved it. So I solemnly say tonight: we will rebuild it together," he added. 

French firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control in the early hours of Tuesday.

Fire spread rapidly through a major portion of the magnificent Gothic cathedral at the heart of Paris. The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said the fire service was currently "trying to control the flames."

The soaring spire collapsed in flames, and a church spokesman says the entire wooden interior of the 12th century landmark is burning and likely to be destroyed.

The massive fire engulfed the roof of the cathedral in the heart of the French capital as Parisians watched in horror.

Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media: "Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame."

The cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions.

Paris is disfigured. The city will never be like it was before," said Philippe, a communications worker in his mid-30s, who had biked over after being alerted of the fire by a friend.

"It's a tragedy," he added. "If you pray, now is the time to pray."

Police were attempting to clear pedestrians away from the two islands in the river Seine, including the Ile de la Cite which houses the soaring Gothic church, one of Europe's best known landmarks.

A major operation was under way, the Parisian fire department added, while a city hall spokesman said on Twitter that the area was being cleared. Police said investigations into the cause of the fire had been opened and was still ongoing, and that no deaths or injuries had been reported.




Flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris. (AFP)

French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is "potentially linked" to the renovation work.




Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump called the blaze "horrible" and suggested the deployment of flying water tankers.

"So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!" he tweeted.

Topics: World Paris France

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Mine collapse in eastern Congo leaves 200 dead, authorities say, but rebels dispute the number

Updated 4 sec ago
AP
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Mine collapse in eastern Congo leaves 200 dead, authorities say, but rebels dispute the number

  • Senior M23 official Fanny Kaj disputed the figure, saying that the collapse was caused by “bombings”
  • Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at the site, said that he had helped to recover more than 200 bodies from the area
Updated 4 sec ago
AP

GOMA, Congo: A mine collapse at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine.
The collapse took place Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebel group, Congo’s Ministry of Mines said in a statement on Wednesday. It was the latest such tragedy in the mineral-rich and rebel-controlled territories of the country.
But senior M23 official Fanny Kaj disputed the figure, saying that the collapse was caused by “bombings” and only five people had been killed.
“I can confirm that what people are publishing is not true. There was no landslide; there were bombings, and the death toll isn’t what people are saying. It’s simply about five people who died,” Kaj said.
Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at the site, said that he had helped to recover more than 200 bodies from the area.
“We are afraid, but these are lives that are in danger,” said Taluseke. “The owners of the pits do not accept that the exact number of deaths be revealed.”
Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23 group, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis.
Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metallic ore that contains the rare metal tantalum, a key component in the production of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
The country produced about 40 percent of the world’s coltan in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other big suppliers. More than 15 percent of the world’s supply of tantalum comes from Rubaya’s mines.
In May 2024, M23 seized the town and took control of its mines. According to a UN report, since seizing Rubaya, the rebels have imposed taxes on the trade and transport of coltan, generating at least $800,000 a month.
Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Various conflicts have created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including more than 300,000 who have fled their homes since December.
In June, the Congolese and Rwandan government signed a peace deal brokered by the US and negotiations continue between rebels and Congo. However, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern Congo, continuing to claim numerous civilian and military casualties.
The deal between Congo and Rwanda also opens up access to critical minerals for the US government and American companies.
A similar collapse last month killed more than 200 people.

Topics: Congo Mine Collapse M23 rebels

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