Windmill blades at the iconic Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris collapse

The windmill blades of the iconic cabaret Moulin Rougeone of the most famous landmarks in Parisin the early hours of the morning of this Thursday, 25th, three months before the French capital receives the Olympic Games and millions of visitors.

Although the cause of the incident is not yet known, Moulin Rouge director Jean-Victor Clerico said there was no evidence of “sabotage” but that the incident was caused by a “technical problem.”

The letters M, O and U of its name, located on the facade, also fell, but there were no injuries and there is no risk of another collapse of the building’s structure, firefighters said.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Exaucé, who declined to give his last name, to AFP. The Moulin Rouge cook discovered the blades on the floor when he arrived at the scene around 8am local time.

The entrance to the establishment was cordoned off on Thursday morning, but the street was not blocked as a truck removed the collapsed elements, noted a journalist from AFP.

“It’s strange. It’s like cutting off the head of the Eiffel Tower. It hurts. I hope they fix it quickly,” he told AFP Daniel, 58 years old, who passes by it every day on his way to work.

The owner company told AFP that “this is the first time that an accident of this kind has occurred since the Moulin Rouge was founded on October 6, 1889.

Cancan temple

Fortunately, this happened after closing time,” the company added, according to which “every week the cabaret’s technical management checks the windmill blade mechanism and has not found any problems.”

“The place itself is monitored 24 hours a day, especially on the roof, with a human presence. We already know that it is not sabotage, but obviously a technical problem,” Clerico told the press.

The only serious incident at the world cancan temple was a fire caused by construction work in 1915, which forced it to close for nine years, according to the cabaret.

This establishment, which will celebrate its 135th anniversary on October 6th, is located at the foot of the tourist hill of Montmartre, in the north of Paris, in the heart of the lively Pigalle neighborhood.

Synonymous with the wild Parisian nights of the Lido and its cancan dancers, it attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world every day, who take photos of themselves in front of its facade.

Its shows of dancers in petticoats and ruffles, in the wake of legends such as La Goulue, la Môme Fromage, Nini Pattes en l’air and Mistinguett, made this institution famous.

Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 musical film “Moulin Rouge”, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan Mc Gregor, reinforced her international interest.

The Moulin Rouge welcomes 600,000 spectators a year, with two performances per night, 365 days a year, and employs around 450 staff.