THE iconic red sails of the windmill on top of Moulin Rouge, Paris’ most famous cabaret club, smashed to the ground overnight.
Officials are baffled as to why the blades fell, but firefighters said there was no further risk of collapse at the landmark building.
The blades collapsed onto a street in the centre of France’s capital
ReutersThe wrecked sails pictured this morning[/caption]
GettyThe Moulin Rouge club is one of the most visited sites in the city[/caption]
“We don’t know what happened, it occurred between 02:00 and 03:00 am, no one was hurt,” a spokesperson said, adding the night’s last show had finished at 01:15 am.
Images shared on social media showed the blade unit lying on the Paris street below, with some of the blades slightly bent from the fall.
Another Moulin Rouge official said: “Fortunately this happened after closing.”
“Every week, the cabaret’s technical teams check the windmill mechanism and did not note any problems,” the source said.
“It’s the first time that an accident like this has happened since” the cabaret first opened its doors.
The Moulin Rouge cabaret, with its distinctive red windmill blades, is located in northern Paris and is one of the most visited buildings in the city.
The club is best known by many as the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance.
It was founded in 1889 and the audience for its dance shows is largely made up of tourist groups.
The accident will add to concerns of whether Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, is ready to host the thousands more that will descent during July-August for the Olympic Games.
The only serious accident the landmark has endured was a fire that erupted during works in 1915, which forced the venue to close for nine years.
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