A building collapsed in downtown Philadelphia and rescue workers pulled 12 people from the rubble and were trying to reach two others trapped beneath it, fire officials said.
A four-story building under demolition collapsed onto a neighbouring two-story Salvation Army Thift Store at 2140 Market Street at 10:45 a.m., trapping people under mountains of crushed concrete and splintered wood, said Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers.
In addition to those rescued, «we located two others and are in the process of extricating both of those people,» Ayers said.
Those pulled from the rubble suffered minor injuries and were taken to area hospitals where they were in stable condition, he said.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said rescue workers were searching for more survivors. The incident occurred at 22nd and Market streets in the heart of Philadelphia’s Center City.
Witnesses told CNN that the building collapse shook the ground, knocking people off their feet on a nearby sidewalk.
«You felt it shake. There were people who actually fell over. People started screaming, they ran across the street,» one witness told media.
Police urged the public to stay away from the area while rescuers dug through the rubble.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald