Blades of Paris's famous Moulin Rouge windmill collapse onto street
The blades of the world-famous Moulin Rouge in Paris have collapsed overnight.
The sails of the landmark red windmill on top of France’ most famous cabaret club fell to the ground in the early hours of Thursday.
The club’s general manager Jean-Victor Clerico told reporters: "The Moulin Rouge, in 135 years of history, has experienced many adventures but it is true that for the wings, this is the first time that this has happened.
"A little before 2am, the wings of the windmill gave way, fell on the boulevard and fortunately at this time the boulevard was empty of passers-by. We are relieved this morning especially to know that there were no injuries."A venue spokesperson explained the last show on Thursday had finished at 1.15 am.
"Fortunately this happened after closing," a Moulin Rouge official told French news agency AFP.
They added: "Every week, the cabaret's technical teams check the windmill mechanism and did not note any problems.”
"It's the first time that an accident like this has happened since" the cabaret first opened its doors in 1889, the official added.
The last major damage to the building was a fire that broke out during works in 1915 which forced the establishment to close for nine years.
Paris firefighters confirmed on Thursday that the collapse on the busy Boulevard de Clichy did not cause any injuries.
The incident happened just weeks before the French capital hosts the Olympic Games.
The reason for the accident is not yet known.
The Moulin Rouge cabaret, with its distinctive red windmill blades, is located in northern Paris and is one of the most visited landmarks in the city. It is known as the birthplace of the modern dance form the can-can.
The club’s audience for its dance shows is largely made up of tourist groups.
Images on social media showed the blade unit lying on the street below, with some of the blades slightly bent from the apparent fall.
One nearby resident Laurence Plu said: "I heard it on the radio. As I live next door, I wanted to come and see with my own eyes what it was like and it's very sad.
“It's not the Moulin anymore, it lost his wings, it lost his soul."
