A four-story parking garage in downtown Manhattan, near Pace University and the New York Stock Exchange, collapsed on Tuesday, killing at least one worker and injuring five more.
After firefighters were removed from the fallen structure due to dangerous conditions, rescue services employed robotic equipment to look for more victims, but officials stated they believed everyone was safe.
According to City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, “We have no reason to believe that this was anything other than a structural collapse.”
Video footage from the financial district of Manhattan blocks away from the World Trade Center and the New York Stock Exchange, shows rescue personnel hurrying to the scene with several vehicles stacked on top of each other amid crumpled concrete slabs.
According to John Esposito, the chief of fire operations for the New York City Fire Department, one person was certified dead at the scene, four others were transported to area hospitals, and a sixth wounded individual refused medical treatment.
All six were described as workmen who were present in the garage at the time of the accident.
During a late-afternoon news conference, he said, “This was an extremely dangerous situation for our firefighters.” Firefighters instructed to vacate the building were apparently still checking the grounds when Esposito reported that “the building was continuing to collapse.”
Then, he continued, robots were sent to search the wreckage, marking the first time city firefighters had deployed unmanned aerial vehicles.
Authorities said they evacuated the private Pace University parking garage because it is used by students, faculty, and employees.
According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, “This building is completely unstable.”
The New York City Department of Buildings’ web records indicated that the building at the collapse site had been punished for 45 violations, including 25 since 2003, all related to its elevators.
According to a 2003 application, “ceiling slab cracks exist” and “defective concrete with exposed rear cracks.” The offense was punishable by an $800 fine.
According to witnesses, the collapse happened unexpectedly and without notice.
“It all happened so fast,” said Thai Nguyen, 35, a Chinatown resident and Kollective Klub manager. Our store is just next to a hotel, and the garage is only two streets away. Many people hurried into the business to see if they might find refuge here.
Sandy Imhoff, 78, who lives across the street in an apartment, claimed she and her two cats evacuated the building as it collapsed.
“I could feel the building swaying. “I just had enough time to grab my dog and run,” Imhoff continued. I’m worried about my feline companions. The good news is that everyone in my building survived unscathed. It’s difficult to believe.
