http://www.beritajakarta.com/2008/en/newsview.aspx?idwil=0&id=2...

Billboard and Tree in West Jakarta Collapsed

http://www.khon2.com/content/news/developingstories/story/UPDATE-Wa...

Board of Water Supply crews have repaired the 8-inch main on Kainalu Drive and have restored water service to affected customers as of 4:09 a.m.  The crews are now in the process of finalizing road repair.

----------

BWS officials are still trying to determine the size of the break, but say 50 customers are currently without water.  The break has also caused a large sinkhole to form, forcing the closure of Kainalu Drive between Kailua Road and Kuukama Street.  Traffic on Kailua Road near Kainalu Drive is being contra-flowed. 

Police officers are on the scene to help direct traffic. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and to use alternate routes where possible.

A water wagon has been setup at 252 Kailua Road and a spigot to a hydrant on Kainalu Drive near Kuukama Street is available to provide water to those affected.  This repair is expected to continue throughout the evening.

Three-storey building collapses in Lagos
By Titilayo Banjoko 2 hours 9 minutes ago
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news-update/29564-t...

A man was yesterday trapped for several hours under the rubbles of a three-storey building belonging to The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) at no. 7, Afolabi Ground, Obayan Street, Akoka, Lagos.

The building, which was being renovated, collapsed around 3pm.

The trapped man waved his hand continuously, seeking help.

Officials of the State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), men of the Fire Service and the Police rushed to the scene some minutes after the building collapsed. Three people were rescued.

The victims, including a carpenter identified as Baba Dada, were working on the building when it caved in.

The Nation gathered that the building was recently vacated by the church to give room for reconstruction.

LASEMA’s Director-General Dr. Oke Osanyintolu said the team rescued two victims shortly after it got to the scene, but it took some time before the third victim was rescued.

He said the victims had been taken to the hospital.

Police spokesman Jinadu Samuel also confirmed the incident.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/concrete-mix-collapse-kills-2/211376-60-...

Concrete mix collapse kills 2

CHENNAI: Two contract labourers died and five were injured after a concrete mixture put up to lay the roof of a building for a private aircraft accessory manufacturing facility collapsed at Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), Tambaram, around midnight on Sunday.

Police, who arrested three persons, including an engineer and a supervisor in this connection, said that the incident occurred after the iron rods and casuarina poles gave way, unable to withstand the weight of the mix.

About 10 lorry loads of concrete mix were laid over iron plates supported by iron rods and casuarina poles to construct the roof of the ground floor and flooring of the first floor of a building at a height of about 18 feet.

The building, which was an extension to the main building of the private aircraft spare parts manufacturing company, was covering about 10,000 sq ft and 27 labourers under a private contractor were involved in the work that took place only in the night, police added.

Some of them were checking for leaks in between the iron plates around midnight when the incident occurred.

Tambaram fire services personnel were called in for rescue operations.

While labourer Kadavul (40), of Thiruneermalai Road in Kadaperi, who was rescued by fellow labourers died in the hospital, the body of Chinnaiyan (32), of Villupuram, who was caught in between the heap of concrete mix, iron plates and rods, was recovered only after six hours.

“Since he was trapped below the concrete mix and rods and plates, we requisitioned the services of welding workers. Since it was midnight, we could not get them to the spot. They came only by 3 am and it took two hours for them to drill the plates and rods,” said Suryaprakash, Station Fire Officer, Tambaram.

Four others — Ramachandran (30), Murthy (35), Murali (35) and Rajamani (40) — sustained minor injuries, while a labourer Sampath (35) of Ganpathipuram, Selaiyur, who suffered head injuries, was admitted to Government GH.

http://www.wmtw.com/news/29987460/detail.html

Rochester Water Tower In Danger Of Collapse

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- New Hampshire officials are evacuating some homes and a small airport in Rochester due to a fracture in the city's water tank.Rochester City Manager Daniel Fitzpatrick says the leak is at the base of the water tank on Rochester Hill Road.City officials are draining the tank and advising residents their water pressure will be reduced.

Images: Water Tank In Danger Of Collapse

Fitzpatrick said in an email Tuesday to city employees that the tank does not appear to be at risk of collapsing, but there is a potential that it could.The tank is a water storage facility and is not the city's main source of water. It is not a water tower.City officials say residents who were evacuated should call 332-4096 to learn when they can return to their homes.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20111214/METRO/112140416/1409/Roof-c...

Roof collapse kills 2 in abandoned nursing home

Purchase Image

Police and fire officials are on the scene at 18250 W. Seven Mile Road. It’s not clear how the individuals died. (Robin Buckson / The Detroit News)

Detroit— A roof collapse in an abandoned nursing home killed two apparent metal scrappers, who were found by police Wednesday afternoon at the longtime west-side eyesore.

Sgt. Eren Stephens said the two men had been reported missing since Monday. Their bodies were found on the first floor in the rear of the abandoned Arnold Nursing home at 18520 W. Seven Mile.

Nearby residents are upset that the facility, on 13 acres with several buildings, has been allowed to deteriorate for years. The facility closed in early 2000 and has been open to trespassers for months.

Kwaku Atara, a spokesman for the Detroit Fire Department, said scrappers pose a danger to themselves and firefighters.

"This is a dangerous way to make a living," Atara said. "Firefighters and first responders have to go into these buildings."

Kevin Johnson, a pastor of the nearby Calvary Presbyterian, said he saw fire trucks arrive around 2:20 p.m. and that the facility is a danger to the neighborhood. The front of the main building is full of trash and pallets and the grounds are overgrown. Johnson and his parishioners have cut the grass and weeds around the building for months.

Fred Coates, 46, who works nearby, said he routinely sees people in and out of the facility, which includes several buildings on 13 acres.

"They are in there all the time," said Coates.

The Wayne County Treasurer's Office foreclosed on it in March for unpaid taxes. It was sold in October for $21,1000 to Rashad Al-Mehdi of Dearborn and his company Landstar Enterprises. A call to Al-Mehdi wasn't immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.

http://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/9424263.Investigation_underway_a...

UPDATED: Investigation after bricks fall into road

9:06am Friday 16th Dec

BRICKS came loose from a terraced house and fell into a road, causing police and fire crews to be called to the scene.

The brickwork at the front of the house started collapsing shortly before 6.30am on Friday at Dentons Green Lane.

Nobody was injured but police had to close the road as a precaution until about 7am.

St Helens Council’s building control team was called to assess the situation. Bricks were removed and the property made safe.

A spokesman said: “Some of the brickwork at the front of the property had started to come away. The house is still habitable (but) it is understood some members of the public moved in with relatives.”

A statement from Merseyside Fire and Rescue service read: “Police closed the road and firefighters were on scene helping to monitor the situation after part of the front wall of the building collapsed.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-16213558

Second wall collapse 'could have killed'

Residents now want an emergency response to protect their homes

Residents living near a wall which collapsed in Londonderry on Thursday have said children could have been hurt or killed.

50ft of the wall in Harding Street, near Abercorn Road, fell on Thursday.

On Wednesday a 30ft section of the wall in Marlborough Terrace collapsed after heavy rain.

Derry City Council said they visited Harding Street on Thursday to inspect the collapse of a retaining wall, and made the area secure.

Paula Carlin, who lives in Harding Street, said she watched the wall behind her house fall into the lane below.

"Wee ones use that back lane, and if it had fallen onto them they could have been killed.

"The next heavy wind or rain could take it away completely."

Her neighbour Heather Clarke said she feared the rest of the wall was now unsafe.

"These houses aren't built on concrete, so if the wall that's supporting them goes, the back yards and everything could go."

Derry City Council said arrangements are in place to erect appropriate signage and fencing on Friday morning.

"We are in contact with the owners of the affected properties so they can advise their insurance companies so that necessary arrangements can be made to clear the area of debris and review repair work to the wall."

John Kelpie from the council said it was a "dreadful" situation for residents.

"There's been very substantial damage in both areas.

"The damage is mostly to private property, and there is a mews laneway involved as well.

"The Council has intervened to try to facilitate between as many people as possible, and give residents some reassurance there is someone acting on their behalf."

http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2011/12/17/Wall-collapses-at-build...

Wall collapses at building site; 3 hospitalized

Injuries at Woodville called serious; U.S. opens probe

WOODVILLE -- An industrial accident in Sandusky County Friday morning sent three men to Toledo hospitals with injuries described by authorities as serious.

The men's names had not been released Friday night.

About 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties LLC plant, 755 Lime Rd., north of here, a 24-foot-tall rebar-strengthened concrete form collapsed, said Amy Louviere, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration.

The men are steel erectors working with CCC Group Inc., of San Antonio.

A CCC Group spokesman said Friday afternoon the company was aware of the incident but declined to comment.

Two of the men were flown to the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital, and the third was taken by ambulance to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Woodville Township Fire Chief Paul Heineman said.

The chief said that when crews arrived at the plant, only a little more than a mile from the accident scene, the men were alert and talking.

Chief Heineman said the men were very lucky and their injuries "could have been more serious."

When firefighters arrived, two of the workers had been extricated from underneath the collapsed structure, and the third was pulled out by other construction workers at the site.

The safety agency ordered the company to shut down the affected area and is sending investigators to the plant. Both Martin Marietta and the agency are investigating the incident. The company's vice president and general manager, Joe Reilly, said he did not know how long an investigation might take.

He referred all other questions to the company's corporate headquarters in Raleigh.

Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties is part of a large quarry complex at Woodville. The company makes magnesia-based chemicals and fiber-reinforced composite materials for the transportation and military industries.

Rebar is the reinforcing steel rod used to strengthen concrete structures.

A year ago, the Woodville operation of Martin Marietta received a 35 percent job-creation tax credit, worth $236,000 for five years, from the state of Ohio for a $53 million project at the site. The company said at the time it planned to build a factory that would create 15 jobs and retain 160 at the quarry.

Residents moved after another section of Derry wall collapses

A 30ft section of the wall in Marlborough Terrace collapsed earlier this week

A wall near homes, which partially collapsed in Londonderry earlier this week, has given way again.

On Wednesday, a 30ft section of the wall in Marlborough Terrace collapsed causing a landslide which crushed cars.

Gerry Wilson, a resident at Marlborough Terrace, said a larger section had collapsed on Saturday afternoon.

He said people in seven houses had been told to leave their homes.This is due to a possible further collapse.

Mr Wilson also said a garage had been damaged as a result of the incident.

Police had diverted traffic away from the area on Saturday afternoon.

It is understood officials from the Department of Environment were tasked to attend.

In a separate incident on Thursday, 50ft of a wall in Harding Street, near Abercorn Road in the city, collapsed.

Derry City Council said they visited Harding Street to inspect the collapse of a retaining wall, and made the area secure.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16233330

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/135826658.html

House collapses in Waianae; 15 people homeless

POSTED: 09:22 a.m. HST, Dec 18, 2011

The American Red Cross is assisting 13 people after their home collapsed off its foundation overnight.

Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Gary Lum said the home was built on wooden posts about three feet off the ground. Firefighters at the scene said termite damage may have contributed to the collapse of the posts.

The Red Cross said high winds may have blown the home off the posts.

No serious injuries were reported after the 1:30 a.m. collapse of the house at 86-424 Puhawai Road in Waianae.

The Red Cross is helping the displaced families find temporary shelter, Lum said.

BEIJING - While being demolished, a three-story building partly collapsed onto a road near this city's East Third Ring Road on Friday.

The accident caused no injuries but damaged four vehicles that were passing by.

The building stands near the new China Central Television (CCTV) building in Beijing's Central Business District.

It collapsed onto Chaoyang Road at about 11:10 am, Wang Yu, a Chaoyang District police officer, said on Friday afternoon.

"We received a phone call saying a building had collapsed in the Chaoyang district," Wang said. "We immediately dispatched more than 20 policemen to keep order there."

The building was being demolished by a company named Hua'ao House Demolition Ltd, which could not be reached for comment by press time. The reason for the accident is still unknown.

Wang Yanlong, a 50-year-old newspaper seller who witnessed the accident, said four vehicles were damaged by the collapsing building - one seriously and the other three less so.

"I heard a loud noise at about 11:10 am," Wang said. "I rushed out of my stand and saw a collapsed building was blocking the main road."

Steel and iron bars from the building pierced the trunk of a passing car, destroying it. The driver, a middle-aged man, got out immediately, Wang said.

"The driver talked with me for a while afterward, and I could see that he was really frightened," Wang said. "The driver said he was trying to turn left when he saw the building was collapsing but couldn't keep his car from being hit."

Wang said the accident blocked the eastbound lanes of Chaoyang Road and brought traffic to a standstill for about half an hour.

Yao Yong, a musician who said the collapse had destroyed his vehicle, uploaded a photo of the accident site onto his Sina micro blog on Friday. The picture showed that the roof of his SUV had been pierced by a steel bar directly above its back seat.

"If I hadn't turned the steering wheel hard right after I saw that the wall was collapsing, the steel bar would have jabbed me in the head after it went through the SUV's roof," Yao said on his micro blog.

By about 6 pm on Friday, Chaoyang Road had been cleared and the flow of traffic had been partly restored. A side road, though, was still blocked by debris.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45762425/ns/local_news-santa_maria_ca/t...

Bluff erosion forces road closure

Unstable bluffs along Ocean Boulevard in Shell Beach have forced city officials to close a section of the ocean-front road.

Officials blocked Ocean Boulevard between Capistrano and Wawona avenues to vehicles last week after a geotechinal engineer determined the area wasn’t stable and posed an “immediate threat” to public safety.

“Additional weight (on that area) could cause it to collapse at any time,” said Pismo Beach City Manager Kevin Rice. “We are doing the prudent thing, fencing it off at this point.”

The curb and gutter along the closed-off section of Ocean Boulevard crumbled into the ocean a few weeks ago, and wooden fencing that separated the street from the bluff’s edge is ready to collapse. Additionally, a crib wall below the street on the bluff face is completely exposed, Rice said.

“We aren’t sure what’s holding it up,” Rice said. “The erosion is getting really severe.”

Pedestrians and cyclists can still access the portion of Ocean Boulevard that is closed, although the city is warning people to use extreme caution and stay away from the bluff’s edge.

It’s expected the one-block section of Ocean Boulevard will remain closed to vehicles for at least three months, possibly longer, and cost more than $1 million to fix.

“It’s not going to be cheap to repair,” Rice said.

The city has issued emergency coastal-development permits to begin bluff stabilization projects in Shell Beach, including work to repair unstable areas at the northern end of Ocean Boulevard near the Vista del Mar sewer lift station.

An emergency permit also has  been issued to stabilize the bluffs between Capistrano and Wawona avenues. 

The Coastal Commission sent a letter to the city late Tuesday questioning whether Pismo Beach has the jurisdiction to undertake the proposed stabilization projects — construction of seawalls at both sites.

Because Pismo Beach has an approved local coastal plan, the city doesn’t believe it needs approval from the Coastal Commission to undertake the emergency bluff stabilization projects, city officials said.

“I am well within my rights to issue these permits and the city has the jurisdiction,” Community Development Director Jon Biggs told the council Tuesday. “It was the time to issue these emergency permits to protect those resources.”

City attorney David Fleishman also said the city does have the jurisdiction and authority to issue the permits and proceed with work once a final design for the projects is completed and approved by Pismo officials.

Biggs said erosion at both sites on Ocean Boulevard has led to the roadway becoming dangerously close to the bluff’s edge, and that more loss of the bluff could cause the lift station to fail or the road to collapse, which likely would cause water and sewer lines to break.

“It’s a potential catastrophe for the citizens and even the environment,” Biggs said.

City Engineer Dwayne Chisam said if water and sewer lines under Ocean Boulevard were to break because the road collapses, at least 500 to 600 homes would be affected, as well as about 1,000-plus people.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/vijayawada/g...

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8393853/man-trapped-beneath-two...

Man trapped under two collapsed walls

A construction worker is in a serious condition in Melbourne after two brick walls collapsed on top of him at a building site.

It is believed a 3m-high brick wall fell on the 42-year-old and then knocked into another wall, causing it to collapse as well.

The man was crushed beneath their combined weight.

Paramedics arrived in Caulfield North to find the man being helped by his workmates.

"Between us and his colleagues, it took 30 minutes to remove the bricks and free the man," said intensive care paramedic Rowan Harman.

"The 42-year-old suffered a fractured pelvis, fractured right leg, fractured ribs, a suspected collapsed lung and broken fingers."

He was taken to The Alfred Hospital in a serious condition.

http://carrollgardens.patch.com/articles/photos-partial-building-co...

PHOTOS: Partial Building Collapse in Red Hook

Department of Environmental Protection sewer project undermines building, causes collapse

1 dies in Tezpur porch collapse

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111225/jsp/frontpage/story_14925290.jsp

Tezpur, Dec. 24: A labourer from Boko in Kamrup district was killed and 14 were injured after the porch of an under-construction hotel building collapsed on Saturday evening near this town in Assam’s Sonitpur district.

Sonitpur deputy commissioner Tapan Chandra Sarma said one person had died in the the collapse, that occurred around 6pm. The hotel is 1.5km from Mission Chariali, which is 6km from this town.

“There were around 20 labourers, of whom one has died and 14 have been hospitalised. We have completed rescue operations, which were supported by army and police personnel. Police have started investigations,” Sarmah told The Telegraph.

Sonitpur superintendent of police A.P. Tewari said a probe had begun but preliminary investigations suggested that there was a mismatch between the support and load of the 20-foot by 30-foot porch that collapsed.

“Rescue operations were completed within half-an-hour. Five of the injured have been hospitalised but everybody is out of danger. We have registered a complaint but there is hardly anybody to talk to at the site. They seemed to have left the scene after the porch collapsed,” he added.

“Rescuers are using heavy equipment to sift through a pile of debris in search of anyone else who might have been trapped. The deceased labourer has been identified as Ayub Khan from Boko,” DSP (headquarters) Abdul Kadir Arif said.

Abdul Kalam, one of the injured labourers, who is undergoing treatment at Kanaklata civil hospital, said the porch collapsed because of the inferior quality of material used to build the hotel.

Anup Bhatta, superintendent of the hospital, said nine labourers had been released after being giving first aid while six had been admitted to the hospital. The condition of the six was stable, he added.

Sources said Himatsingka Pvt Ltd was constructing the the three-star hotel at the site for the past few years. “Last year, a fire broke out at the same hotel in which one labourer died and a few others were injured,” one of the sources said.

Three Mrityunjoy 108 ambulances from Tezpur town, Pachmile and Chariduar were rushed to the spot and several injured persons were taken to Kanaklata civil hospital at Tezpur, nearly 7km from the spot.

Three other army ambulances have also been pressed into service. The residents of the area also took some injured persons to hospital in private ambulances.

“Two JCBs were pressed into service by the Sonitpur district administration and army personnel and local people are also rescuing the people trapped under the debris,” the operations executive of Mrityunjoy 108 ambulance services in Sonitpur district, Ananta Saharia, told this correspondent from the spot.

No one from the Himatsingka Group could be contacted. Consultant engineer J.I. Khataniar said there were three factors that needed to be looked into an RCC building collapse — structural design and analysis, quality compliance of materials and workmanship.

“Public buildings have to be constructed under the provisions of the National Building Code of India,” he said. The NBC, a comprehensive building code, is a national instrument providing guidelines for regulating the building construction activities across the country.

The main idea behind the NBC is inclusion of a complete philosophy and direction for successfully accomplishing t

TAIYUAN - A cement factory building under construction collapsed Tuesday night in the northern province of Shanxi, leaving two dead and five others injured, local authorities said Wednesday.

The accident occurred at about 8:30 pm in the Xingyuan Cement Plant in Xiangfen county sources with the fire brigade in Linfen city, which administers the county, said.

When the building collapsed, seven construction workers were atop the building. They fell and were trapped under a mass of iron bars, scaffolds and wood boards.

By 3:30 am, rescuers had pulled out five workers from the debris, and they were sent to a nearby hospital.

About three hours later, rescuers retrieved another two workers, who were pronounced dead at the scene, rescuers said.

An investigation into the accident is under way.

Dangerous Collapse at the City of David

http://settlementwatcheastjerusalem.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/cityof...

26/12/11

The Jerusalem Municipality closed the Mosque in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan today. No, it is not because of political reasons; it is because of a serious concerned to the public’s safety. There was a dangerous collapse at an archeological site underneath the building, and the Municipality wanted to make sure that nobody would get hurt. The works surrounding the collapse might take a few days before the mosque and the kindergarten (in it) will be reopened.

The Israeli Antiquities Authority has been conducting large scale excavations in Silwan, and has opened tunnels underneath the houses and the roads of Silwan. Hundreds of visitors walk through those tunnels every day to see the archeological site of the City of David, while above their heads thousands of Palestinians live their day to day lives.

It is not the first time that there has been a collapse in Silwan, at the Antiquities Authority’s excavations. On March 2010, at the same tunnel, another collapse occurred and the “Dangerous Buildings Department” of the Jerusalem Municipality opened an investigation. Around May 2009 there was also a collapse at a plaza near a school in Silwan under which there was an intensive excavation. The Municipality, again, opened an investigation. Also earlier in 2009 the stairs leading up the hill in Silwan collapsed, after a new excavation started under it.

The Jerusalem Municipality always acts after a collapse occurs. When we inquired whether the excavations had a construction permit, the Municipality explained that archeological excavations does not require any such permit. The meaning is that there is no inspection by the Municipality over the works that are done underneath the homes of hundreds of residents in Silwan. The Antiquities Authority, together with Elad Association (which is funding and initiating most of the excavations in Silwan) and the National Parks Authority are the ones in charge of the diggings.

Luckily today nobody was harmed at the City of David site. When I arrived, I saw a group of children and adults at the entrance to the compound. Usually, the route of their tour would go through the tunnel. Had they passed there few minutes before, at the moment of the collapse – there might have been a disaster. Had the collapse led to the collapse of the kindergarten in the Mosque on top of the tunnel, there might also have been a tragedy. In this, perhaps there is equality.

A group at the entrance to the compound not far from the tunnel

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-12/21/content_14300349.htm

Factory building collapse kills 2 in N China

TAIYUAN - A cement factory building under construction collapsed Tuesday night in the northern province of Shanxi, leaving two dead and five others injured, local authorities said Wednesday.

The accident occurred at about 8:30 pm in the Xingyuan Cement Plant in Xiangfen county, sources with the fire brigade in Linfen city, which administers the county, said.

When the building collapsed, seven construction workers were atop the building. They fell and were trapped under a mass of iron bars, scaffolds and wood boards.

By 3:30 am, rescuers had pulled out five workers from the debris, and they were sent to a nearby hospital.

About three hours later, rescuers retrieved another two workers, who were pronounced dead at the scene, rescuers said.

An investigation into the accident is under way.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/12/30/1874965/section-of-weraco...

 Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 Section of Weracoba Creek wall collapses; city working on repairs An 80-fooot section of the retaining wall siding Weracoba Creek on Cherokee Avenue has collapsed, but contractors are working on repairing the section before it threatens the roadway, according to the city’s engineering department.Farhad AliFarhani, design engineer for the city, said the city has not received an estimate for the work. The collapsed section is near another approximately 80-foot section that collapsed five or six years ago, AliFarhani said. The city monitors the aging walls of the creek, but sometimes cavities develop behind it and sections can fall in with no warning, he said.“This wall has been in there for years,” he said. “Now this wall has reached its limit in age and is gradually falling in. We inspect it and if we see something wrong before anything happens, we replace it. But sometimes due to unseen circumstances, they cave in.” If the collapse were left unrepaired, it could possibly threaten the stability of the roadway, AliFarhani said. But as long as it is repaired promptly, there should be no threat to the road.“We’re working to take care of this as quickly as possible,” he said.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/31775-one-dead...

One dead, three injured as building collapses in Lagos

One person was feared dead yesterday and three others severely injured when a building  under construction collapsed at  Popoola Olafuyi St by Babayanju  B/Stop  in Mafoluku, Lagos. 

The unfortunate incident occured around 2.30pm as the victims said to be artisans were bringing in blocks for the construction of the second slab of the collapsed building.

A Deputy Director from  the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Adekunle Rufia, led officials on rescue mission. 

He confirmed the death of a victim and said three affected victims sustained various degrees of injuries.

Rufia said,” We discovered that the building was raised to the first storey since the last three years. Work just commenced on the second slab and it was this development that forced the structure to collapse.”

He informed that one of the victims that sustained  broken arm had been treated and discharged while the other victims  were rushed to a near by hospital

“When we got to the scene we were informed by eye witnessed that the artisans were not working, but where bringing in blocks which they intend to use on the second slab during the holiday before the structure gave in.

He said the collapse was caused by the weakness of the structure which he said was not capable of carrying the weight of the additional structure being added.

Our correspondent observed some of the artisans trapped. 

Their legs were hooked, forcing residents to call and yell for assistance. 

 Lagos State Ambulance Service and police officers, who rushed to the scene, took time  on how to rescue those under the debris while awaiting the arrival of Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority( LASEMA).

As at 4 00p.m only three of the victims had been rescued and taken to hospital.

Residents said  the building had showed signs that it might. 

They alleged that  the structure  had been  abandoned for over 10 years before construction commenced after the land and building were sold to the new owner.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/city/30524-boy-hurt-as-building-collaps...

Boy hurt as building collapses in Sarai Rohilla

A 12-year-old boy was injured after an under construction building collapsed in the North Delhi area on Sunday. The incident occurred in Sarai Rohilla area of North Delhi in the afternoon.

A fire official said that a call was received regarding a building collapse from the Sarai Rohilla area around 1 pm on Sunday. An under construction old building in Daya Basti, Gujjar colony in Sarai Rohilla, collapsed suddenly. On reaching the spot, a 12-year-old boy was rescued from the rubble. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

A police official said the injured has been identified as Amjad. He was rushed to the Bara Hindu Rao Hospital for treatment, where he is being treated for his injuries. A case regarding the incident has been registered and the probe has been initiated to look for the reason behind the incident.

The owner of the building is Furkan. He might be taken under custody if found guilty during investigation, he added.

Scaffolding collapse kills two workers at Abu Dhabi site

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/emergencies/scaffolding-collapse-...

Abu Dhabi: Two workers died and a third was seriously injured when their scaffolding collapsed from the seventh level of a building under construction opposite Al Maraya Cinema in the city.

The cause of the accident is yet unknown and the police said they have started their investigation. However, an eyewitness reported that the workers were standing on the scaffolding, which was level with the seventh floor, to load heavy equipment when it broke, plunging the workers to their death.

"The three workers fell from 40 metres high. The scaffolding was erected on an elevator ditch at the side which went three levels below the surface of the site," said A.K. from the site, who only gave his initials.

"One of the victims died instantly from severe head injuries as he fell on steel bars at the ground level. Emergency workers had difficulty identifying the man due to severe facial injuries," he said.

According to A.K., another worker was pronounced dead 30 minutes after the accident at the hospital where he was transported by emergency ambulance. He had fractures and severe internal injuries.

Cause not known yet

A worker at the site, who requested to remain anonymous, said the cause was unknown but added the heavy equipment which was supposed to be fixed by the workers was not the reason behind the scaffolding's collapse.

He confirmed that the scaffolding broke and fell from the seventh floor into the elevator ditch. However, he said only one workers died at the site and two were taken to Shaikh Khalifa Hospital.

"The accident happened shortly before 2:00pm, after the workers had completed their lunch break.

"A call from the hospital confirmed the death on arrival of the second worker. I think the third will survive as he sustained injuries that were not so major. The three workers were from the subcontinent region," he said.

The hospital refused to comment on the condition of the injured worker. A source from the hospital said police has started their investigations and the hospital was not authorised to give any information to the press.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/9449116.Gale_force_winds_cause_part...

Shops in Southampton sealed off after partial roof collapse

PART of a busy shopping precinct in Southampton has been sealed off after a section of building blew down in gale force winds.

The damage came as winds of up to 70mph battered the region causing widespread power cuts across Southampton and other parts of Hampshire.

A 12 foot section of masonry and brickwork including a large cornice bearing the words Market Place fell onto the pavement along Shirley High Street just before 9am today.

Two properties and two flats had been evacuated by the time fire fighters arrived to attempt to make the building safe.

Search and Rescue Teams had already been called to the properties which were affected by the partial collapse above two shops and two flats.

Remarkably no one was injured as a result of the falling masonry that was reported just after 9am.

The owners of one of the businesses affected Gasworks temporarily set up business across the road while structural engineers assessed the extent of the damage.

Bosses arrived at work to find the damage after they were alerted by a neighbouring business.

A spokesman said it was "very fortunate" that no one was at work when part of the building collapsed.

It is understood owners of the other affected business Dainty Tailors are on holiday.

Watch manager Rob Burns said due to the strength of the winds it was not safe for firefighters to attempt to get on the roof to assess the damage.

The area has been sealed off inside a police cordon and it is hoped the fire service will be able to return to the scene later today to see whether any more of the building is in immediate risk of collapse.

http://hillpost.in/2012/01/03/building-collapses-in-shimla/38675/la...

Building collapses in Shimla

Shimla : An old building collapsed in a crowded part of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh today , nobody was injured .

The building was located in the highly congested lower bazar area in downtown Shimla , it was owned by the waqf board and housed many people . Luckily no one was present when the collapse took place in the evening . A portion of the building is still standing precariously.

The building housed a few shops . Civic authorities had declared the building unsafe way back in 1988 when a portion of the building was damaged, but it isn’t clear why it hadn’t been cleared or demolished .

The lower bazar has many other old buildings belonging to the Raj era .

http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=54266

High Winds Cause Dickinson Building to Collapse

Jeremiah McDaniel | 1/3/2012

High winds have ripped through the state throwing debris in the air and causing problems for motorists, but in Dickinson the wind was powerful enough to cause a building to collapse.

The building was an almost completely framed structure on the south side of town. Workers were on the site when the building fell, but they all managed to get out of the way and no one was injured. The project manager says that they knew the wind was coming and took precautions, but their efforts didn`t help.

"We made sure to take necessary precautions for proper bracing and shoring, however, on this project mother nature with 60 mph gusts unfortunately took the structure down, but the silver lining was that no one was injured," said project manager Mike Odegaard.

Odegaard says that the bracing they put up actually caused more wind drag. The structure is almost a complete loss, but crews will start building again when they get all the rubble cleaned up.

Posted in gas explosions blog as well.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16405813

India building collapse in Delhi kills five

The roof of a building has collapsed following a gas cylinder explosion in the Indian capital, Delhi, killing five workers.

At least four others were injured in the incident in the Mundka area in the city's north-west.

The explosion took place at 07:25 local time [01:55 GMT] when some of the labourers were cooking, police said.

The one-storey structure was weak and collapsed soon after the explosion, they said.

The injured have been taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Delhi.

In September, five people were killed and 25 injured when a building collapsed in the crowded Chandni Mahal area.

In November 2010, at least 67 people died and 100 were injured in a five-storey building collapse in the east of the city.

That disaster was blamed on shoddy construction, extra storeys allegedly being added illegally to the structure and water seepage from the nearby Yamuna river.

http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/whereilive/9453942.Road_cl...

Breaking news Froghall Lane reopened after chimney collapse

8:59am Thursday 5th January 2012

A CHIMNEY has blown off a home on Froghall Lane, closing it to traffic this morning.

The road was been closed in both directions close to the junction with Midland Way following the incident due to the strong winds. But council bosses confirmed it reopened at 12.30pm

Meanwhile drivers in Glazebrook have been delayed by a fallen free on Dam Head Lane near to the railway lines.

http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/wall_collapse_causes_footpat...

A SECTION of a popular Clevedon footpath has been closed off after a wall collapsed during bad weather.

Blocked footpath.

The stone wall running alongside the path leading from Dial Hill Road and the Zig Zag to Hill Road gave way during high winds and heavy rain on yesterday (Wed), leaving the steps along it completely blocked by earth and rubble.

North Somerset Council closed the affected section for safety reasons and it will remain closed until the owner of the wall has been identified and repair works are made.

It is a privately owned footpath which is not the responsibility of the unitary authority.

People can still access Hill Road from Dial Hill Road by following the path where it forks in a separate direction.

Stairwell collapse in Sidon building traps residents
January 09, 2012 01:46 AM
The Daily Star

BEIRUT: The stairs of a three-story residential building near Omari Mosque in Sidon’s old downtown partially collapsed Sunday, trapping the residents in their homes, the National News Agency reported.

Sidon’s municipal workers rushed to the scene and worked to temporarily support the stairs in order to prevent further collapse until they can be examined by a team of engineers.

The municipality requested that the residents evacuate the building for their safety.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on January 09, 2012, on page 3.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jan-09/159204-stai...
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Toddler dies after plunging into underground sewer when city road collapsed

• Tragedy happened as 18-month-old boy and his mother were walking through Bryansck, Russia

January 9, 2012

A toddler is presumed to have died after he was swept into an underground sewage system when a road collapsed due to a ruptured water pipe yesterday.

The 18-month-old child's mother was pushing him in his buggy through the Russian city of Bryansck when the ground at a crossroads opened up beneath them.

The boy and his mother, a 26-year-old policeman's wife, plunged into the sewer.

Tragedy: A toddler died yesterday after a road in the Russian city of Bryansck collapsed, throwing him into an underground collecting tank for a sewage system

The woman was rescued, but the child was thrown from his pushchair and swept away by the current into a collecting tank for the sewage system.

He is today presumed dead.

While the woman did not sustain any serious injuries, she was rushed to intensive care in a state of severe shock.

The accident happened at a city crossroads in Bryansck (pictured)

Investigators say they are working to determine the cause of the accident, but suspect faulty construction of the system may be to blame.

Underground pipes carrying hot water occasionally burst in Russia, causing the ground above them to suddenly collapse to the peril of those walking above.

A criminal case has been opened into the death of the child.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Roof-on-Affton-apartment-building-co...

Half of road collapses after heavy rain

Posted on January 10, 2012, Tuesday

ANOTHER ROAD COLLAPSE: Traffic jam after the landslip.

KUCHING: A landslip caused one lane of a road near Kampung Merdang Lumut here to collapse, causing traffic congestion along Muara Tuang Road yesterday.

This happened barely two weeks after a similar incident caused a 100-metre stretch of road to sink near Semukoi in Serian.

Like the previous case, the one yesterday was probably caused by heavy rain.

Yesterday, a survey at the landslip found that the remaining lane was passable by vehicles even though the other lane had sunk by three feet.

It was said the road collapsed at about 8am yesterday.

Until yesterday evening, no repair work was done though the collapsed road was closed by the authorities concerned.

There is a drain by the roadside, and it was believed the rainwater had washed away the soil underneath the road following heavy downpour since Sunday night.

There was a traffic jam in the afternoon yesterday as many parents use this road to pick up their children from school.

Police personnel were at the site to ensure smooth traffic flow.

http://www.wtae.com/news/30182952/detail.html

Building Collapses As Penguins Fall

PITTSBURGH -- A building collapsed right outside of Tuesday night's Pittsburgh Penguins game, damaging a car and creating a mess of debris.The crumbled building now sits scattered along Colwell and Pride streets in the Hill District.No injuries were reported in the incident.One car received minor damage, police said.The cause of the collapse was under investigation.Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators made quick work of the Penguins in a 5-1 victory Tuesday.

http://www.frankstonweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/wild-weat...

CONSTRUCTION workers were lucky to escape without injuries when high winds caused the partial collapse of a townhouse they were working on in Seaford this morning.

The three-storey home was one of several being built on the Nepean Highway site, near the Riviera Hotel.

Site manager Rick Hammond told the Weekly that people were working on the building when ‘‘a freak gust of wind’’, blew down the frame and some scaffolding at about 9am.

‘‘The trees and everything are down around here. Fortunately no one was hurt,’’ Mr Hammond said.

A WorkSafe Victoria spokeswoman said a WorkSafe inspector had attended the collapsed house and closed the site until recovery procedures were developed.

She said eight workers were on site at the time of the collapse and the incident would be investigated further.

The construction company would need to improve stabilisation at the site, although wild weather had caused problems in the local area, she said.

One SES truck attended the scene and members cordoned off the footpath outside the property and asked construction workers to ensure that the gate was locked to prevent public access.

At 2pm Frankston SES controller Brian McMannis said strong winds continued to lash Frankston and members were busy attending to 60 calls for assistance in the local area.

‘‘The calls are mainly about trees down, roofs damaged by trees and trees across roads. Once people come home and realise there is damage we will get more calls, so I’d say we’ll probably be working through the night,’’ Mr McMannis said.

http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2012/jan/four-taken-hospital-c...

Four taken to hospital, as ceiling collapses at Stag pub - 'An almighty bang' say revellers

Published: 12 January 2012
by GEORGIA GRAHAM

DRINKERS in South End Green were covered in rubble and dust when part of the ceiling collapsed in a busy pub at the weekend.

Four people were taken to hospital on Saturday night after the plasterboard ceiling fell onto customers at The Stag pub in Fleet Road.

The bar, packed with revellers, birthday parties and dinner dates, had to be evacuated.

Claire Russell, from Finchley, was with 20 friends at a birthday dinner party.

She said “There was a big group of us sitting around the corner of the main bar, and suddenly there was this almighty bang.

“Everything went a bit surreal after that – it was quite scary.

Everything went really quiet and people were looking around at each other trying to figure out what happened.

At first we thought someone had dropped something really heavy but then all this dust started swilling around.

“Luckily, no one panicked and staff were really calm.

The people sitting at those tables were covered head to toe in dust, had bits of rubble in their hair.”

The popular pub reopened in 2008 after a refurbishment transformed it from a traditional boozer to a gastro-pub.

A spokesman for London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 8.25pm to reports of a ceiling collapse.

Four ambulance crews, two single responders in
cars and our hazardous area response team attended.

London Ambulance staff treated four patients for minor injuries.”

The spokesman confirmed that four customers were taken to hospital.

Two were treated at the nearby Royal Free and two at St Mary’s in Paddington.

The pub closed for a clean-up and refurbishment but planned to open yesterday (Wednesday).

 

Dove Valley Collapse

Four people were injured Thursday morning when the roof of an old mushroom house on the Dove Valley Winery property collapsed. They apparently fell about 20 feet and have been transported to Christiana Hospital.

Thursday, January 12, 2012 11:01 am

By Jacob Owens

A building collapse has been reported at Dove Valley Winery on Harrington Road near Rising Sun.

Fire companies are on scene and building inspectors and Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials are being called to the scene.

http://www.cecilwhig.com/news/local_news/article_262787f6-3d37-11e1...

Vehicles damaged in building collapse near Consol Energy Center

By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Tuesday, January 10, 2012

At least five vehicles were damaged on Tuesday night when a vacant building collapsed in the Uptown neighborhood near the Consol Energy Center.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in the collapse that occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of Pride and Colwell streets, Pittsburgh police said. Streets in that area were closed because of debris, police said.

Police believe that some of the vehicles were owned by fans who attended the Penguins-Senators game

Read more: Vehicles damaged in building collapse near Consol Energy Center - P... http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_775999.h...

http://www.beritajakarta.com/2008/en/newsview.aspx?idwil=0&id=2...

Retaining Wall in Front of Cilandak Highscope School Collapsed

BERITAJAKARTA.COM — 13/01/2012 10:34:00

http://www.andhrawishesh.com/home/top-stories/23587:3-storied-build...

3-storied building collapses in Tirupati

A three-storied residential building in Tirupati collapsed today and fortunately there are no reports of loss of life.

The building in the Singalakunta area of the town started sinking into the ground last night and observing this, the residents of the building vacated the premises as a precautionary measure to save their lives.

Most of the residents took out their valuables and important paraphernalia out last night itself along with them as they suspected the structure to collapse any minute. The residents waited with bated breath outside on the road whole night as the officials warned them not to venture into the building.

Today, around 3.30 pm, the building collapsed completely to the ground terrorizing the neighbors and the locals. As the building started collapsing, people started running away from the area post haste leading to confusion.

The jail in danger of collapse .. because prisoners have dug so many escape tunnels

• Network of escape routes extends beyond jail walls
• Security chief says prison could come down at 'any moment'
• Governor says inmates spend every moment plotting their escape
  

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086145/The-jail-danger-col...

A Brazilian prison complex is facing collapse after inmates dug a labyrinth of tunnels beneath its foundations during multiple escape bids.

Four more tunnels were discovered this week alone after a group of prisoners escaped from Alcaguz jail in Maceio in the north east of the country.

Inmates at the prison are said to spend every moment of the day plotting their escape and have so far excavated tunnels three metres underground and 30 metres long.

Fresh discovery: A prison guard looks at the hole leading to a network of tunnels beneath the Alcaguz jail in Brazil

There are now so many tunnels in the soft earth under the penitentiary that the structure is unsound.

The prison's security chief says that the structural problems are so severe 'it could bring the prison down at any moment.'

Contractors building a new wing at the jail last year discovered new tunnels and saw the ground collapse as they drove heavy equipment across the compound.

Prison governor Jose Olimpio said: 'There are many. The prisoners spend every moment of the day dreaming up ways to escape. And they always
find some way of hiding the soil, under mattresses, or down the toilet which ends up blocking the whole sewarage system.

'They even started digging a tunnel in the prison yard, but we discovered it before anyone had escaped.

Prison break: Alcaguz prison in north eastern Brazil is built on soft earth allowing inmates to easily tunnel out of the compound. Jail bosses say it could now collapse

Gaping hole: Inmates spend all their time plotting escapes says the prison governor at this Brazilian jail. Here another tunnel is discovered just outside the walls

'Now there's a great risk that all the tunnels ha

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/brooklyn-billboard-top...

January 13, 2012, 6:39 pm

Brooklyn Billboard Topples Onto Expressway

Brian Harkin for The New York TimesA billboard and its metal framework lay in wreckage along Meeker Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Friday after it blew over in high winds.

An illegally placed New York Lottery billboard brought bad luck to drivers and a building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Friday when it collapsed in high winds — partly blocking the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, knocking a hole in a body shop, severing a gas line and damaging a car, but injuring no one.

The billboard, 20 feet by 60 feet and mounted on a six-story-high metal frame atop a one-story brick building at 421 Meeker Avenue, fell at about 2:20 p.m., the authorities said. The billboard fell onto Meeker Avenue and onto a lane of the elevated expressway. The metal supports fell onto the building itself, partly collapsing the back wall, the Fire Department said. At least two other buildings sustained damage, the Buildings Department said.

The billboard was illegal, the department said, because it was within 200 feet of a highway, which is prohibited by zoning rules. The city’s highways have been plagued with illegal billboards, though the Buildings Department began cracking down on them in 2009.

Theresa Capolino, 70, a school aide who has lived in the neighborhood her whole life and at 411 Meeker Avenue since 1994, said the billboard went up around 2000.

Ms. Capolino, unlike those more directly affected by the collapse, said she felt lucky to have avoided calamity and decided to seize the moment.

“I play the lottery. The Mega Millions and the Take 5,” she said. “I’m going now to play. I will play these numbers, 411.” She gestured to the street number above the door of her building. “Maybe I’ll hit.”

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/alert-residents-prevent-disaster/220866-...

Alert residents prevent disaster

TIRUPATHI: A threestoried building in Singalagunta area in the town collapsed on Friday, reportedly due to weak foundation. However, no casualties or injuries were reported as the alert residents had escaped in time when they noticed widening cracks in the walls. According to sources, the building was constructed in 1985 but the owner Venkatesh Achary added two more floors later. However when residents noticed wide cracks appearing, they removed all the gas cylinders and also saw that the power to the building was disconnected, before running to safety. Thus, no one was injured when the building collapsed and damage was limited to furniture. Police and revenue officials rushed to the spot when they came to know of the incident. DSP K Kesappa said that a weak foundation was the reason for the collapse. "We are taking steps to clear the debris," he said. Municipal commissioner T Prasad, who visited the spot, said that the building was an unauthorized construction and was built over a nala.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1685...

One killed, eight injured as building collapses in Beirut

Beirut - An old residential building collapsed in the Beirut neighborhood of Ashrafieh on Sunday, killing a 15-year-old and injuring eight people, police said.

The five-storey building, erected in the 1960s, collapsed because of cracks caused by three days of bad weather conditions, according to Lebanese MTV Television.

Rescue operations were launched by the Red Cross and Civil Defence officials, while security forces cordoned off the area

2 dead after five-story building collapses in Beirut
January 15, 2012 06:02 PM (Last updated: January 15, 2012 09:11 PM)
The Daily Star

http://maps.google.com/maps?z=5&q=BEIRUT&hl=en

BEIRUT: Two people died Sunday, including a 15-year-old girl, after a five-story building collapsed in the Fassouh neighborhood in the Ashrafieh district of Beirut Sunday.

Ann-Marie Abdel Karim was pronounced dead upon arrival at al-Roum Hospital.

More than 10 others were pulled out alive from under the rubble. At least 40 people are still believed to be trapped underneath the building.

Civil Defense personnel, the Red Cross and the Lebanese Army arrived at the scene to help rescue residents.

Army officials at the scene are asking people to evacuate the area, warning that some buildings might also collapse, while Civil Defense has brought heavy machinery and bulldozers in a bid to remove the rubble and rescue trapped residents.

Around two dozen people are on top of the rubble looking for trapped residents, while Red Cross personnel have surrounded the collapsed building attending to those rescued.

Some people have been seen coming out of the rubble bloodied.

Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, who arrived at the scene hours after the building collapsed, described the incident as a humanitarian disaster and urged officials to help prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

“This is a humanitarian disaster ... [we] should work on preventing any repetition of such an incident,” Khalil told reporters.

Beirut MPs along with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel have arrived to the scene of the rubble including lawmaker Jean Oghassapian who said there were voices being heard under the rubble asking for help.

Security officials have asked people to remain quiet in order to hear those calling for help from underneath.

Charbel told reporters that more help would arrive to assist in the evacuation process.

“There is more help coming to the area to assist in the evacuation process and pull people still trapped under the rubble,” Charbel said.

Among the 10 rescued, two women, a Filipino and Lebanese, were transported to a hospital nearby after being pulled from the rubble. Three hospitals in Ashrafieh have announced their readiness to accept injured people.

The Lebanese woman said her family was still under the rubble, adding that the building was old and in a bad condition, security sources said.

A Red Cross spokesperson said that ambulances have headed to the building and that no clear information regarding the number of people trapped under the rubble was available.

“The ambulances belonging to the Red Cross have arrived at the scene and we are now working to remove people from under the rubble,” Iyad Munzir, a spokesperson for the Lebanese Red Cross, told The Daily Star.

“We don’t have any clear information on the crisis,” he added.

Bystander Nicolas Abourjeily told The Daily Star that he had heard a big crash a block away from his building in Ashrafieh around 6 p.m.

“I saw a cloud of dust covering the area and saw some people coming up who were severely injured,” Abourjeily, 20, said.

The apartment block is known to be in an area of mainly old buildings. It included 10 apartments each with a monthly rent of LL25,000.

The rescued woman, who said she was from Al Abdel Karim family, also said that the weeklong rain storm which hit the capital may have contributed to the collapse of the building.

The Lebanese Army has blocked roads leading to the scene.

Read more: