The truck crashed into the bell tower in Sobín, the town hall wants a new one

Prague - A small chapel with a bell tower in Sobín, Prague, was damaged by a truck this morning and was demolished today on the orders of a structural engineer. The rubble has been cleared from the road, and the removal of the remaining debris will begin on Wednesday. Marta Koropecká, the mayor of Zličín, under which Sobín falls, informed ČTK. The neo-Gothic chapel, which has been a protected monument since 2007, will be rebuilt by the district. The area around the chapel was impassable for approximately five hours after the accident, with public transport buses taking a detour. The truck driver was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

"The structural engineer ordered that it must be demolished to prevent anyone from being injured or for the remains to collapse onto the road. The road has been cleared, and tomorrow (Wednesday) the rest will be cleared. We do not yet know the cause. We will find out whether the driver had mandatory insurance and whether we might receive some funds for the reconstruction. We will also seek additional financing; we are prepared to launch a public collection for the restoration," said the mayor.

The truck, which was transporting construction materials, crashed into the chapel with the bell tower shortly before 11:00. It partially demolished the structure. Due to the accident, police had to redirect traffic. The cause is still unknown. The case is still being investigated, said Prague police spokesperson Tomáš Hulan. According to the Prague police's Twitter, the consequences of the accident were cleared up and traffic was restored around 16:00.

The 67-year-old man was taken to the Motol Hospital by emergency services. "It was a preventive examination after the accident," said Jana Poštová, spokeswoman for the Prague emergency medical service.

Public transport buses had to travel on a detour, with a diversion between the Sobín and Strojírenská stops. Line 164 ended at the Sídliště Řepy stop, and line 306 was also diverted.

The Zličín town hall will definitely want to build a new chapel in Sobín, said Mayor Koropecká. "We are now determined to do so. But it won't be the same; it had immeasurable historical value," she added.

The chapel with the bell tower stood on Hostivická Street. It was built in 1885 in the neo-Gothic style on an octagonal plan according to a design by V. K. Panoš.