Hero British builder who saved Ukrainian friend dies after wall collapses

14 April 2024 , 20:47

1157     0

The medieval town of Montaigu de Quercy in Tarn et Garonne France (Image: Alamy Stock Photo)

Police have launched an investigation after a hero British bricklayer was killed when he was crushed by heavy concrete blocks.

Andrew Ponting, 58, was pulled from the rubble after a wall suddenly collapsed on him while working in the south of France. Back in 2022, he was widely praised after driving across Europe from France to Ukraine to save the life of a friend stranded in a hospital after the Russian invasion.

Tragically Andrew died last week while working alone. Paramedics freed him from under the bricks in the town of Montaigu-de-Quercy but were unable to resuscitate him. Local police have opened an official investigation into the incident and the Montauban Public Prosecutor's Office have requested an autopsy. But local Mayor Robert Alazard said it appeared to be a tragic accident. He said: “It was a work accident. He was working when a wall of concrete blocks fell on him.”

Mr Ponting lived alone in the town and is survived by a father and brother in the UK. In March 2022 he drove his pick-up truck across Europe to Ukraine to save his friend Oleg. He embarked on the dangerous journey with Oleg’s sister, based in Amsterdam, to get him out of a Kyiv hospital.

Andy Lines