Alfortville in Val-de-Marne demolishes three of its residential towers

The three buildings, 15 to 18 stories high and containing 351 apartments, collapsed in a matter of seconds, destroyed by 440 kilos of explosives, according to the lessor Logial-COOP.

A cloud of dust covered nearby buildings before dissipating within minutes.

The lightning strike and the "spectacular destruction" caused were chosen to "reduce the intervention of construction machinery and limit the nuisance over time for the neighborhood," Logial-COOP said in a press release.

The demolition "went as we imagined it would" and was a "success", the PS mayor of Alfortville, Luc Carvounas, assured the press.

"When I saw the three towers fall, it did something to me, as a native of the south of the city" where they were located, assures the elected official. "But our responsibility is not to remain doing nothing," he added.

The last 351 households housed in the towers were rehoused "almost a year ago," he said.

The towers will be replaced by some 368 new homes, including 82 social housing units, with work expected to be completed in 2027.

As for the waste generated by the destruction, it will be transported by barges on the Seine, which flows almost at the foot of the buildings.

Transport by river and not by truck "will make it possible to divide the carbon impact of transport operations by six", assured the general director of Logial-COOP, Jessica Chiaroni.