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| Five die in wall collapse at Birmingham recycling site | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Five men have died in an accident at a recycling site in Birmingham. | Five men have died in an accident at a recycling site in Birmingham. |
| Police were called to Hawkeswood Metal in the Nechells area of the city shortly before 09:00 BST on Thursday. | Police were called to Hawkeswood Metal in the Nechells area of the city shortly before 09:00 BST on Thursday. |
| It is understood a wall at the site on Aston Church Road had collapsed on the men. | It is understood a wall at the site on Aston Church Road had collapsed on the men. |
| A spokesman for West Midlands Police said the emergency services attended the scene but the men were pronounced dead. A police spokesman described it as "a very traumatic incident." | |
| A sixth man managed to scramble free from the rubble and was taken to Heartlands Hospital with a broken leg. | A sixth man managed to scramble free from the rubble and was taken to Heartlands Hospital with a broken leg. |
| Live updates on this story | Live updates on this story |
| A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "On arrival, ambulance crews found that a wall had collapsed. | |
| "Sadly, there was nothing that could be done to save the five men who had been working next to it." | |
| West Midlands Fire Service said its control room had received reports that a person was stuck and suffering cardiac arrest. | |
| The men killed were working next to a "large concrete structure containing metal" when it collapsed, said the fire service. | |
| A specialist team of firefighters is on scene with heavy lifting gear and cutting equipment to recover their bodies. | |
| Assistant Chief Fire Officer Gary Taylor said it was a "devastating incident for everyone involved". | |
| "Once the police have finished their initial examination of the scene, our absolute priority will be to ensure that the bodies of those who have lost their lives are recovered in the most timely and safe way possible, and with the utmost dignity and respect. | |
| "The scene is an extremely challenging one, involving significant tonnage of concrete and metal and a structure that is still unstable. | |
| "We have an assertive recovery plan in place and expect this operation to take several hours." | |
| The Health and Safety Executive has been informed and it is understood officers are at the scene. | |
| Det Supt Mark Payne said: "We are still in the very early stages of this investigation to determine exactly what happened this morning. | |
| "Sadly five people have lost their lives and we have several teams of specialist officers supporting their families at this time. | |
| "This has been a very traumatic incident for those who were at the site this morning and we will continue to work alongside the HSE and the other emergency services at the scene." |