According to a report issued on Thursday by structural engineers examining
the children’s section of Prague’s Motol hospital, the facility will
not require evacuation to address structural concerns. The B wing of the
hospital, built in 1964, was found to be unstable during ongoing
reconstruction work after it was discovered that the building had moved by
as much as ten centimetres in one month. Reconstruction efforts were
halted
as a result as experts moved in to assess the site. The children’s
facility, which is one of Europe’s largest children’s hospitals, was
opened last June after a major reconstruction which cost 4.4 billion
crowns. 212 children are currently housed at neighbouring wings – the B
wing, however, remains empty and in need of repair. Accumulations of
sub-surface ground water are believed to be behind the instability.
Experts
will decide next week whether to resume reconstruction efforts.