NEW ORLEANS, Oct 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One person was killed and at least 18 injured in New Orleans when part of a Hard Rock Hotel under construction collapsed, filling a street with wreckage and clouds of dust.
One person died at the scene, according to Fire Chief Timothy McConnell, who added that the building is now structurally unstable.
“Another collapse is possible,” he told reporters at the construction site.
Firefighters evacuated construction workers inside the hotel after the “upper six to eight” floors collapsed, McConnell said.
Emergency medical services director Emily Nichols said that first responders evaluated 19 people at the scene, 18 of whom were transported to hospitals and are in stable condition.
Local media said three people were missing and emergency services were using rescue dogs and drones to search for any more victims.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards urged residents and visitors alike to avoid the area.
“This remains a very fluid and very dangerous situation,” he told reporters at the scene. “Every few minutes something is falling off of this building.”
Due to the hotel’s unstable structure, the operation to clear the area is ongoing, according to local Homeland Security office director Collin Arnold. — NNN-AGENCIES
