Shocking footage captured the moment a hospital parking garage partially collapsed in Philadelphia, killing one construction worker and burying two others who are missing, presumed dead.
Video obtained by WPVI shows all seven floors of the stairwell at the under-construction parking facility at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia falling one after another when a roof segment came crashing down Wednesday afternoon.
Three workers were rescued from the rubble by emergency crews shortly after the collapse and rushed to an area hospital, where one of them later died, according to city officials. The other two have since been discharged.
Two other workers are still unaccounted for and are presumed to have died after crews surveyed the site with trained search dogs, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker announced Thursday night.
The victims have not yet been publicly identified, but Parker confirmed all were members of Ironworkers Local 401.
“We grieve their loss tonight, and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder in support of the families who have been directly impacted,” she said.
Deconstruction of what’s left of the garage is expected to start on Friday afternoon where officials hope to find the missing workers’ bodies, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“We are laser focused on safely seeing the demolition of that structure occur while working extremely hard to ensure dignity in the recovery of any of the human souls that we are able to return to their families, with dignity, and a whole lot of prayer,” said Parker.
Deputy Police Commissioner John Stanford said Grays Ferry Avenue will remain closed between 29th and 33rd streets.
A subcontractor, Ohio-based Precast Services Inc, was installing large concrete pieces on the structure when a “precast roof segment failed” and fell to the level below, triggering the collapse of all seven levels of the stairwell, officials said.
The precast concrete components were manufactured off-site and installed by the manufacturer, according to the mayor.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will lead the investigation into the collapse and personnel are already at the scene.
“We will get to the damn bottom of what happened here. The investigation is going to require that we cross every T and dot every I, and we will empower the tool of transparency while we are doing it,” Parker said.
The garage, which was to be an extension of CHOP’s staff parking facility, was widely protested by locals when it was proposed for construction who cited congestion and environmental issues at the time, according to WPVI.
CHOP said in a statement it was “prioritizing the safety of the construction workers at this time and working closely with the City of Philadelphia and our construction partners.”