Philadelphia building collapse. The collapse of a building under demolition in downtown Philadelphia six dead and 14 wounded, according to the latest figures provided in the evening by the mayor of the city.
Michael Nutter said that five women and one man were among the victims. The four-storey building, located at the corner of 22nd Street and Market Street, 500 meters from the town hall, collapsed to 10 h 45 local time on another two-storey building which housed a shop of Army Hi.
"We still do not know how many people were inside the store, or how many were on the sidewalk," he said at a press conference.
A woman was found alive in the rubble late Wednesday. Improvised rescuers removed debris with buckets and their bare hands to free people trapped. Rescue operations continued until late evening. Witnesses said they heard a mighty roar just before the collapse. Others said they heard two sounds similar to explosions.
Work in the state of the art?
Following the collapse of citizens working nearby argued that the demolition does not seem to be made in the rules of art.
"For weeks, they stood at the edge of the building and hit the bricks," said the Associated Press Patrick Glynn, who was working on the roof of a building nearby. "You could tell it was going to fall anytime. I knew this would happen. "
For his part, Steve Cramer, who works at a car wash on the other side of the street, said the demolition had left a partition wall 9 meters without frame, compromising the integrity of the building.
Responsible for a municipal building inspection, Carlton Williams, however, said there was no violation in the building and the demolition company had all the necessary permits.
Michael Nutter said that five women and one man were among the victims. The four-storey building, located at the corner of 22nd Street and Market Street, 500 meters from the town hall, collapsed to 10 h 45 local time on another two-storey building which housed a shop of Army Hi.
"We still do not know how many people were inside the store, or how many were on the sidewalk," he said at a press conference.
A woman was found alive in the rubble late Wednesday. Improvised rescuers removed debris with buckets and their bare hands to free people trapped. Rescue operations continued until late evening. Witnesses said they heard a mighty roar just before the collapse. Others said they heard two sounds similar to explosions.
Following the collapse of citizens working nearby argued that the demolition does not seem to be made in the rules of art.
"For weeks, they stood at the edge of the building and hit the bricks," said the Associated Press Patrick Glynn, who was working on the roof of a building nearby. "You could tell it was going to fall anytime. I knew this would happen. "
For his part, Steve Cramer, who works at a car wash on the other side of the street, said the demolition had left a partition wall 9 meters without frame, compromising the integrity of the building.
Responsible for a municipal building inspection, Carlton Williams, however, said there was no violation in the building and the demolition company had all the necessary permits.