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Glass Panes Fall From Paris’s Tour Montparnasse, Raising Safety Alarm

The episode increases pressure to begin a long-delayed €800 million renovation before the building’s planning permission lapses.

Overview

  • Several large glass window panes detached from upper floors and shattered on the street, with witnesses saying one pane fell about 200 meters after Sunday's incidents.
  • No one was injured and firefighters cordoned off streets and removed other panes judged at risk to prevent further falls.
  • Residents and workers described growing fear after what they say is the third similar episode in six months, with people saying they will avoid the tower.
  • A planned four-year renovation estimated at roughly €800 million has not started because of disputes between the city and the tower’s co-owners, and the building’s permit is set to expire at the end of November.
  • City officials call for a full, 'maximalist' overhaul to secure the 1973 tower and the recent falls increase the legal and political pressure to resolve financing and start work.