World

Falling cornice kills person at Prague tram stop

The incident happened during a thunderstorm in the Czech capital.

A cornice falling from a building during a thunderstorm in central Prague killed a person at a tram stop (Prague Fire Rescue Department/AP)
A cornice falling from a building during a thunderstorm in central Prague killed a person at a tram stop (Prague Fire Rescue Department/AP) (AP)
By Associated Press Reporters

Part of a cornice that fell from a building in central Prague hit a tram stop, killing one person, officials said on Thursday.

Television footage showed a hole in the roof of the stop.

The victim was not immediately identified.

Firefighters at the scene where a person died after being hit by a falling cornice at a tram stop in the centre of Prague (Roman Vondrous/CTK/AP)
Firefighters at the scene where a person died after being hit by a falling cornice at a tram stop in the centre of Prague (Roman Vondrous/CTK/AP) (Roman Vondrous/AP)

The accident happened in Lazarska Street before noon, police said.

They said the street would be closed to traffic for two hours. Several tram lines use the street.

At the time of the accident, the Czech capital was hit by a thunderstorm.

Firefighters said that after the accident they removed about 220lb (100kg) of unidentified material from the top of the building which could possibly have fallen later.

Authorities are investigating the incident.