A four-story building being demolished on the edge of downtown
collapsed with a thunderous boom Wednesday, raining bricks down on a
thrift store, injuring 13 people and trapping one other, the fire
commissioner said.
Rescue crews were trying to extricate the person still trapped amid
the rubble inside the Salvation Army thrift store, which was nearly
obliterated by falling debris, city Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said.
When asked about the person's condition, he declined to comment.
The 13 people who were injured were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, he said.
The collapse involved an empty building that once housed a
first-floor sandwich shop and apartments above. The thrift shop was on
one side. The other side was an adult bookstore and theater that had
been taken down earlier.
Rescuers used buckets and their bare hands to move bricks and rubble to search for survivors.
Witnesses said they heard a loud rumbling sound immediately before
the collapse. More than 100 rescuers and several police dogs searched
through the rubble.
No comments :
Post a Comment