London office building collapses
Pastor Dale Morgan
London office building collapses*
POSTED: 1828 GMT (0228 HKT), June 12, 2007
Story Highlights
• Top two stories of office building under renovation collapses in
central London
• Building unoccupied except for construction workers -- one trapped by
debris
• Dozens of firefighters, rescue crews cordon off block around building
LONDON, England (AP) -- The top two stories of a building under
renovation collapsed in central London on Tuesday, trapping construction
workers in the rubble, police said.
Dozens of firefighters and rescue crews converged on the multi story
red-brick office building and police cordoned off a four-square block
are around the rubble-littered street. A concrete bloc crushed the
windshield of a van parked on the road below.
"All of a sudden there was a loud bang. I thought it was a bomb," said
Surinder Purewal, who works in the Metropolitan Police Authority
building opposite the structure. "I saw the whole building come down,
there was a lot of dust."
The building was unoccupied except for construction workers -- one of
whom remained trapped by debris, Police Commander Steve Allen said.
He said the man was conscious and was speaking to rescuers, but said he
could give no indication as to the man's condition or any details as to
his identity.
"Currently all efforts are concentrated on forming a plan to rescue him
from the building," Allen said.
He said there was no evidence of an explosion.
"There is no information available to us at this time, no information
available at all, that this was anything other than a structural failure
at the building," he said.
He also expressed relief that more people hadn't been hurt. London's
ambulance service has confirmed only one casualty, who was being treated
at a local hospital.
"The potential for loss of life and serious injury was immense here," he
said.
The campaign office of Labour's deputy leadership contender Hazel Blears
is based in the affected building.