A birthday party in Paris’s 11th arrondissement turned into a scene of carnage early Sunday morning, 18 January 2026, when an apartment floor suddenly gave way. At least 19 people sustained injuries, with one guest remaining in a critical condition, after the fifth-floor apartment at 34 bis Rue Amelot plummeted into the level below. Prosecution authorities have launched a formal investigation to determine the cause of the structural failure.
The disaster struck at approximately 12:20 am during a gathering of roughly 50 people. Witnesses described a sudden, massive boom as the floor collapsed, plunging revellers into the flat underneath. Emergency services responded with overwhelming force, deploying 125 firefighters and 40 rescue vehicles to the site. Rescuers discovered one victim buried beneath the rubble in cardiac arrest; firefighters successfully resuscitated them on-site before a priority transfer to the hospital.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo expressed her deep sympathy for the injured and their families, while offering her profound thanks to the firefighters and civil protection teams for their overnight mobilisation. As a safety precaution, officials evacuated the primary building and two neighbouring properties. While the general structure of the building reportedly remains sound, the police prefecture confirmed that workers have reinforced the fourth floor while a full structural audit is completed.
