"It happened in plain view like in a slow movie: first there was a strange clap, then a crack appeared in the middle of the ceiling, then a large piece started falling down..." (Elena)
"It was a huge crash, everything collapsed, people were running in panic. They tried to get out. We found ourselves naked outside, broken glass all around..." (Natalia)
"A massive plate pressed me down to stairway steps. It was all horror, no exit anywhere..." (Svetlana)
"I saw a man, pale as bed linen. He waived his hand and mumbled: "My wife just stood there". Nothing was there but pieces of metal construction..." (Alexey)
"I was with my wife and daughter. A part of roof fell on us but luckily it hanged up and we managed to get out" (Sergey)
"I saw a boy beside the stairs up above, he was five or six years old. He cried. I grabbed him and put on stairs, he ran down..." (Elbrus)
On February, 14th, 2004 one of the most terrible tragedies in the modern history of Moscow happened. 28 lives were lost, more than hundred people were wounded, many children among them.
"Transvaal-park" was the name for an entertainment complex constructed in 2002. Yasenevo (this disctrict of Moscow) could boast its original planning, interesting story and rather good (comparing to other city areas) ecolocial situation, mostly thanks to Bitzevsky park nearby. But there was nothing except a pair of small clubs and one cinema hall. "Transvaal" was really large with many attractions and an aquapark. It quickly became popular. That Saturday evening many people came with their families, friends and relatives. Young pairs chose "Transvaal" to celebrate romantic St.Valentine's Day. Julia Zhuravlyova (23 years), a young lawyer, just got her diploma. Her family joined her to celebrate this moment in the aquapark. Large company of kids gathered to celebrate Vadim Cherkasov's birthday, he was 14. At 7pm there were more than 400 persons in "Transvaal".
At 19:15:43 (according to CCTV cameras) the first crack appeared in the roof. Heavy pieces of concrete and sharp glass were falling on people in few seconds.
People tried to escape - in bathing suits, with their naked feet stepping on broken glass. It was dark outside and the cold air was filled with dense water steam. People could hardly see anything, they just were running outside of this nighmate to fall on snow. Their clothes, footwear, money, keys, documents - everything remained under falling fragments. One man broke his cars window, pulled out wires land managed to turn on heating to warm several women and children. He stayed outside. Some people rushed back trying to find friends and to do something for those who were calling for help desperately.
The roof fell upon the area of about five thousand square meters. Rescuers were struggling for people's lifes all night long. The wounded were transported to hospitals by about 100 ambulance vehicles. Next morning the country was shocked with the first reports with names of the deceased.
Someone suggested that the roof had fallen under the weight of snow. However there appeared witnesses who proved that snow had been regularly and accurately cleaned from the roof. Then there were rumours about a terrorist attack, an explosion, but no proof has ever been given.
The public opinion was driven by anger and despair. The investigators turned against builders and designers. Three governmental commissions investigated the accident. They carried out more than two hundred expertises. The media and the Internet were crowded with special terms related to construction, architecture, tectonics and, of course, jurisprudence.
Yuri Luzhkov (the Moscow city major) and Nodar Kancheli (the chief engineer of the project) arrived to what had been "Transvaal" a day ago. Mr. Kancheli said that the eleventh column could not slip out from under a roof "by itself". He insisted that this could happen only as a result of some external influence. The engineer pointed at a minor dusty cloud at the bottom of the column which was visible on video. Nevertheless, the media was ready to point at his mistakes as the most probable cause of the tragedy.
However, experts couldn't come to final agreement. Every new fact contradicted some previous idea. One expert suggested there were traces of external influence on the notorious column. The other expert insisted that there was a construction mistake. Several companies were involved: the proprietor of the building - the joint-stock company "European Technologies and Service"; Turkish contractor Kocak Insaat Ltd; architectural bureau "Sergey Kiselyov and partners"; and the joint-stock company which belonged to Nodar Kancheli himself. Strange details emerged. For example, according to the project the roof should be made of metal but it was actually built from a cheaper material (concrete). Anyway, no one wanted to be responsible for what happened in "Transvaal".
Relatives of victims addressed to courts. They hoped to get some compensation. In Russia suffering caused by death of a beloved close relative is traditionally compensated by courts with sums less than could be paid for a small second-hand car. Regarding to "Transvaal", in most cases these sums were in a range from 5 to 12,5 thousand euros. The first person received his money only after bailiffs arrested the property of the building owner. 24 y.o. Tamara Papitashvili got one of the biggest compensations. Her husband and baby were killed in "Transvaal", Tamara herself endured clinical death and had both feet amputated. The compensation for her moral harm was about 15 thousand euros. The biggest sum paid an individual (moral harm, medical treatment, everything) was about 50 thousand euros. Insurance company "Pari" which offered voluntary insurance for "Transvaal" visitors paid different compensations (the maximim sum of 1,500 euros) to those who bought its policies. The Moscow government paid about 2,500 euros to families of those killed in this tragedy.
The Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov remained on duty. He lost his position only in autumn 2010 with no connection to "Transvaal" but due to political disagreements with the team of the Russian president. The architector Nodar Kancheli hasn't admitted his fault but accepted amnesty from the parliament. The chief Moscow building expert Anatoly Voronin was accused of a negligence, but investigators eventually haven't found any crime in his actions.
Currently there is a new aquapark. A small chapel which is always closed, a silent bell and a plate with names of victims remind of the tragedy.
The cache is magnetic micro (unscrew the black cover) nearby the chapel. It's well hidden, please don't attract muggles' attention though the place is usually not overcrowded. Please bring your pen or pencil with you.