The disaster occurred at the largest pavilion of the International Katowice Trade Fair on 28 January 2006.
A thick layer of snow and ice on the roof contributed to the collapse around 5:15 pm, as visitors attended trade events and a nationwide pigeon exhibition.
Many escaped unharmed, but the scale of the tragedy required an enormous rescue effort.
Over 1,300 firefighters, miners, medics, police officers, soldiers, and mountain rescuers worked through the night, with survivors taken to hospitals across the region.
Rescue operations continued for days, including searches with trained dogs, ultimately confirming 65 dead, including nine foreign nationals.
Investigations later revealed structural and design flaws, as well as lapses in building oversight.
An archival photograph of rescue operations from January 2006. (PAP/Andrzej Grygiel)
The legal proceedings, spanning over a decade, resulted in multiple convictions, including a nine-year prison sentence for the building’s designer.
Families of the victims and the injured were subsequently awarded compensation by the state, which at the time was governed by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, recognizing its responsibility for the disaster site.
At the site of the former hall in Katowice, now marked by a memorial to the victims, flowers were laid on 28 January 2026 to honour the 20th anniversary of the tragedy. Photo: PAP/Kasia Zaremba
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Source: PAP