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Six dead as Philadelphia building collapses | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Six people have died and at least 13 have been hurt after a building collapsed in the centre of the US city of Philadelphia, officials say. | |
A four-storey building fell down, sending debris on to a building housing a bustling Salvation Army shop. | A four-storey building fell down, sending debris on to a building housing a bustling Salvation Army shop. |
The collapse happened around 10:30 local time (14:30 GMT) in the Center City neighbourhood. | The collapse happened around 10:30 local time (14:30 GMT) in the Center City neighbourhood. |
The building was being demolished, though the cause of the collapse was unknown, officials said. | The building was being demolished, though the cause of the collapse was unknown, officials said. |
Early reports said just one person had died, but rescuers continued working into the night. | |
Mayor Michael Nutter said the dead included five women and one man. | |
"If anyone else is in that building, they will find them,'' he said. | |
All 13 people transported to hospital had suffered minor injuries, Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. The four-storey building had both commercial and residential spaces. | |
'Lucky ones' | 'Lucky ones' |
Several witnesses said they had been concerned about the way the demolition was being carried out prior to the collapse. | |
"We've been calling it for the past week - it's going to fall, it's going to fall,'' window washer Dan Gillis told the Associated Press. | |
Earlier, witnesses said they had heard a loud rumbling sound immediately beforehand. | |
"I was standing there looking out my window, watching the men at work on the building, and the next thing I know I heard something go kaboom," Veronica Haynes, who was in an apartment building nearby, said. | "I was standing there looking out my window, watching the men at work on the building, and the next thing I know I heard something go kaboom," Veronica Haynes, who was in an apartment building nearby, said. |
"Then you saw the whole side of the wall fall down... on to the other building.'' | |
Bernie Ditomo told a local NBC broadcaster he was driving on a nearby street when he felt something "like an earthquake". | Bernie Ditomo told a local NBC broadcaster he was driving on a nearby street when he felt something "like an earthquake". |
"I said, 'What the hell is going on?'," Mr Ditomo said. "My truck is totalled. I am a little dusty and dirty, but I'm alright. I am one of the lucky ones." | "I said, 'What the hell is going on?'," Mr Ditomo said. "My truck is totalled. I am a little dusty and dirty, but I'm alright. I am one of the lucky ones." |
High school student Jordan McLaughlan said he saw several people on the ground being given oxygen by rescuers after the collapse as the air filled with dust. | High school student Jordan McLaughlan said he saw several people on the ground being given oxygen by rescuers after the collapse as the air filled with dust. |
Authorities asked news helicopters to clear the air over the scene so rescuers could hear people trapped under the rubble. | |
"This is delicate, it is dangerous work," Mr Ayers said. |