Paris Air Terminal May Be Leveled

New cracking sounds were heard Monday in the terminal at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport where a deadly roof collapse occurred a day earlier, and it was quickly evacuated of people working inside, an airport official said.

Terminal 2E has been indefinitely closed since a 98-foot section of the roof caved in about 7 a.m. Sunday, but investigators, police and others were working inside.

When new cracking sounds were heard, it was evacuated.

"We feared that there would be another problem," said Corinne Bokobza, of the airport authority, known as ADP.

"We're taking no risks."

In the wake of the collapse that killed four people, French authorities contemplated tearing down the new Air France terminal.

Officials had originally reported five dead in Sunday's disaster but lowered the death toll after going through the rubble. Two Chinese travelers were among the dead.

With many in France stunned by the collapse, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin visited the scene, and the airport's head said investigations would help decide whether to scrap Terminal 2E.

"If all these rings that make up this terminal are irrecoverable, we'll tear it all down, of course," said Paris airports authority President Pierre Graff was quoted in daily Le Parisien daily as saying, referring to steel rings that form a spine in the building. "We will take no risks when it comes to security."

The collapse embarrassed France. The $890 million terminal was touted as a jewel of design, safety and comfort when it opened last June after delays. The French TV network LCI said the delays were due to safety issues.

The futuristic building sits on pylons and its distinctive ceiling is honeycombed with hundreds of square windows.

The collapse involved a 100-foot section of the concrete, steel and glass roof, preceded by several loud cracking sounds. As the roof fell onto a waiting area, it pulled down walls and crashed through a boarding ramp, onto several parked cars below.

"How is this possible?" wrote Le Parisien on Monday's front page.

Terminal 2E was evacuated and remained closed Monday. Air France warned of continued delays.

Charles de Gaulle is the country's busiest airport and among the largest in Europe.

The terminal was designed to handle 10 million passengers a year.