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A large portion of the Hard Rock hotel under construction on Canal Street in New Orleans has suddenly collapsed. Local New Orleans media outlet WWL-TV is reporting 1 dead, 3 missing and 18 injured in the incident.
Several construction workers reportedly had to run to safety as upper floors began to fall on top of each other before one side of the building fell to the street.
Dramatic video shows the moment a crane collapsed at the under-construction Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans that killed at least one person and injured several others. https://t.co/6rbKpQkV2G pic.twitter.com/2PWJBvpgKY
— ABC News (@ABC) October 12, 2019
City officials have closed a large area and are evacuating other buildings near Canal and North Rampart streets because of concerns that more of the Hard Rock, which was still under construction, could fall.
The collapse happened about 9:12 a.m.
Eyewitness video provided to WWL-TV shows the top floors begin to collapse on top of one another before the wall on North Rampart Street of crumbled to the ground below. Workers could be seen in the video running to safety on Rampart as the collapse happened.
On vacation in New Orleans & there was some kind of accident at Hard Rock hotel under construction at Canal & Rampart… maybe a crane collapse. pic.twitter.com/i5mJG8xWDp
— Julie Hyman (@juleshyman) October 12, 2019
“It is still very unstable,” New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent Tim McConnell told WWL-TV
New video. New info. New Orleans:
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) October 12, 2019
•1 person has died
•3 people are unaccounted for
•18 are injured following the construction collapse at the Hard Rock Hotel
📸: @BrienFallon pic.twitter.com/XvBL0VhNmb
“When you see the crane listing away from the building … this is very serious.”
LATEST on Hard Rock Hotel construction site collapse in New Orleans:
— NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) October 12, 2019
– 1 person dead
– 3 people unaccounted for
– 18 injured
MORE DETAILS: https://t.co/s0y6K1HOmN pic.twitter.com/APYI3HEL0P
Rampart Street was littered with building debris, including concrete and mangled steel. One man in a safety vest sat on the curb and appeared to be holding the side of his head in pain.
The Hard Rock Hotel was planned as an 18-story building with 350 hotel rooms and 62 condominiums. It was initially set to open this in the spring of 2020.
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