Several lanes at the intersection of Windhorst Road and Parsons Avenue in Brandon remained closed for the indefinite future as county workers tread carefully in determining what caused a section of the roadway to collapse July 19.
“We have to be really careful at that intersection because there are lots of utility lines in the area,” said Hillsborough County spokesman Patrick Murray. "We have a sewer line and a water line there and we have to make sure there are no other utilities, so we have to be careful drilling.”
At the scene, late afternoon July 22, barricades were seen at the intersection, with drilling under way.
Crew workers first believed a 16-inch sewage pipeline beneath the intersection might have caused the collapse of the 6-foot-square section of roadway on July 19, according to a county report.
But the sewer line was dug up and found to be intact. Now the county is testing the intersection for sinkholes — but carefully, as Murray noted.
Additional detours and lane closures are possible as crews dig up the line for inspection and any necessary repairs.
Motorists who must travel through the intersection are warned to expect delays.
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Person-Injured-in-Stairwell...
Serious Injuries in Stairwell Collapse
Collapse in Southwest
Monday, Jan 30, 2012 | Updated 10:03 PM EST
Chronis Jons/Riser/Getty Images
One person was hospitalized with serious injuries after a stairwell collapsed at an apartment building in southwest D.C. Monday evening.
A delivery person was moving large furniture when the stairwell at the building in the 4300 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE collapsed, injuring the delivery person.
People who lived on upper floors were unable to get to or from their apartments until firefighters shored up the stairwell from the base, a temporary fix until permanent repairs can be made.
Northbound MLK Avenue was closed in the area.
The injured person was taken to Howard University Hospital.
Jan 31, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Katy Road between Detroit Street and Neff Road in Mt. Morris Township closed by sewer failure
Published: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 12:47 PM Updated: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 12:47 PM
MT. MORRIS TOWNSHIP, Michigan — A sewer failure has shut down Katy Road between Detroit Street and Neff Road until at least the end of the week, the Genesee County Road Commission said.
Jan 31, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-4-injured-in-...
4 injured in partial building collapse on South Side
1:30 p.m. CST, January 31, 2012
Four people were injured today after a building collapsed in the Gresham neighborhood, officials said.
The incident happened on the 7900 block of South Halsted Street, shortly after noon today, according to the Chicago Fire Department. It appears the top of the building's brick facade sheared off at the roof line.
Part of the 3-story building collapsed and three people were taken in fair-to-serious condition to St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center and Holy Cross Hospital. A fourth person was taken in good-to-fair condition to St. Bernard.
Jan 31, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2012/02/01/6m-church-under-cons...
Five storey building collapses in Ilford
Wed 1st February | 0:01
A five storey building which was topped out last week dramatically collapsed yesterday in Ilford, east London.
The steel frame of the new £6.1m City Gates Christian Centre partially came down but all 22 workers on the site escaped unharmed.
It is believed the site team had clocked off for the day just minutes before the collapse.
Main contractor on the job is Ashe Construction.
A company statement said: “Following extensive searches of the building site and surrounding areas the emergency services have confirmed that no site workers or members of the public have been injured as a result of the partial collapse.
“We are extremely grateful to the emergency services, the local authority and other statutory bodies for their response to this incident.”
Eye witness Mick Pandher told the Ilford Recorder: “I looked towards the building and I thought it was a thunder storm at first.
“Seconds later, I saw the whole building going to the floor.
“It was very sudden. It was like when you see a building being demolished. It came down in a straight line.”
A Fire Brigade statement said: “Our specialist urban search and rescue (USAR) crews were called to a collapsed building on Clements Road in Ilford. Six fire engines and four fire rescue units were also at the scene.
“The five storey building was under construction.
“The steel frame surrounding it collapsed and scaffolding from the construction site also fell into a nearby car park, damaging six cars.All 22 construction workers on the site escaped uninjured.
“USAR crews used specially trained dogs to complete a systematic search of the area and were able to confirm that no-one else was involved in the incident, although one passer by was treated for shock by London Ambulance Service.
“A crane on the site was left in a precarious position after the building collapsed and a 60 metre safety cordon was established.”
Feb 1, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/subway-construction-worker-crit...
Subway construction worker in critical after concrete falls on his head in Brooklyn station
Man was working at Smith-9th Sts. Station
Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 5:24 PM
Todd Maisel/New York Daily News
A hardhat hit in the head by a chunk of concrete at the Smith-9th Sts. elevated station in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center.
Todd Maisel/New York Daily News
Officials are investigating why a construction worker was struck in the head with a large piece of concrete at the Smith and Ninth Streets elevated train station next to the Gowanus Canal this morning, possibly inflicting mortal injuries on the helmeted worker. He suffered massive head injuries and was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center. Condition unknown.
A hardhat working in a Brooklyn subway station was clinging to life Tuesday after a chunk of concrete crashed on his head, officials said.
The 26-year-old man, whose name was not released, was working on a construction crew clearing concrete out of the Smith-9th Sts. Station in Carroll Gardens about 11:30 a.m., officials said.
The concrete slab suddenly fell and landed on the worker’s head.
Feb 1, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://barkingside21.blogspot.com/2012/02/city-gates-church-collaps...
City Gates Church Collapse
At around 4:30pm yesterday the infrastructure for the City Gates Church in Clements Road, Ilford, collapsed. Nobody was seriously injured.
However the area remains closed while Health & Safety investigate and the site is made safe.
The Clements Road Car park and the surface Town Hall Car park are closed. Buses are being diverted and there is serious congestion – advice is to avoid Ilford Town centre if possible.
The Royal Mail sorting office is closed so post will be delayed.
Feb 1, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Building-collapse-Mo...
Building collapse: More than 25 still feared trapped
Soumittra S Bose, TNN | Feb 1, 2012, 06.52AM IST"The rescue restarted late on Tuesday morning after a gap of four hours," said a relative of Kedia. Anand Raul, whose daughter escaped the disaster by a whisker, does not know if he will ever see his wife Sanjukta alive after being trapped for so many hours. The jawans of the 118 Battalion Territorial Army paid heed to his plight and used an experienced labourer working at the premises for the last eight months to find a possible passage through mangled heaps of concrete and iron rods. The jawans have been trying onlooktheir level best but were helpless in absence of specialized equipment. One of two JCBs working at the site remained non-functional for hours after it ran out of fuel, said a senior army official. There was emanation of obnoxious gases from the rubble since the cold-storage was damaged but the officials from NEERI were informed almost 24 hours later. As anger grew among the relatives of the trapped labourers looked at every plan of the authorities with suspicion. They accused officials of being more interested in extricating material belonging to traders rather than save lives. "The authorities are only interested in saving the grains of rich traders but not the lives of poor labourers," said a relative as he had a heated argument with the senior officials of police, Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Nagpur Improvement Trust and other agencies engaged in the rescue operation.
"Allow us to enter the rubble come what may," said Tirith Chandralekh whose elder brother Sonu is still untraceable. There was also much discontent among the relatives of the trapped labourers who started voicing their dissent as armymen were not present at the site on Tuesday morning. In fact, it is learnt that the local authorities could not provide any support to the jawans for an all-out rescue operations. Patience among the officials too seemed to be waning leading to scrapes. A senior police officer unnecessarily manhandled a businessman who was waiting to see whether his stocks could
Feb 1, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
UPDATE: Former Civil War hospital partially collapses in Lynchburg
http://www2.neweraprogress.com/news/2012/feb/01/building-collapse-r...
UPDATE: 5:20 p.m.
A four-story building once used as a Civil War hospital is set to be demolished after a partial collapse earlier this week.
A wall of the 612 Dunbar Drive structure collapsed Monday night according to neighbors, although no one reported it to the city, Lynchburg Fire Battalion Chief Paul Ginther said.
No one was injured.
“We discovered it ourselves earlier today,” Ginther said Wednesday afternoon. “One of the guys on a medic unit was coming back from a call. He noticed the whole four stories of the back of the building had collapsed.”
He said neighbors reported it to a nearby business, which in turn contacted the owner, who lives in South Carolina. The owner has contacted a construction company, which has agreed to take down the entire structure. Ginther did not know when that could happen.
According to the book by Lynchburg resident Dr. Peter Houck, “A Prototype of a Confederate Hospital Center in Lynchburg, Virginia,” the 1845 warehouses straddling Dunbar Drive near 12th Street were purchased by tobacconists William Miller and John Knight in 1851. During the war, 237 soldiers died in the two buildings, per Houck’s book. They were the only two of 18 tobacco buildings in the city used as hospitals that remained standing.
Ginther said the building is unstable and could possibly collapse into Dunbar Drive, a bus route used by Dunbar Middle School. It will remain closed until the building is demolished.
Although it was believed to have been a hospital and bore a Civil War Trails marker, it was not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, city officials say. Ginther said the building was braced years ago, but has been deteriorating from leaks in the roof and general lack of upkeep.
Feb 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Students vacate building over fears of collapse
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000051311&cid...
Several university students were left without shelter after they voluntarily vacated a six storey building over claims it was collapsing in Nairobi’s Kahawa Wendani area.
The building is still under construction but there are about 500 students from Kenyatta University who have already occupied the completed rooms.
Their move came after cracks emerged on some of the floors of the building since Wednesday morning sparking fears of its collapse.
Come Thursday, the students started to vacate the house saying they feared it would collapse. Some vacated while throwing their household goods off the upper floors in a drama that attracted huge crowds.
No official from the council was available to confirm the fears of the occupants. The students threatened to stage a protest in the area if the landlady of the building did not refund their rent and deposit.
"We have not been to class today because of this problem. As you can see, the building may collapse anytime from now and what we want is a refund of the money we had paid as our rent,"shouted one student amid applause from others present.
Apart from the students, there are other tenants occupying the houses.
Police were later called to the scene following fears thieves were taking advantage of the situation to steal part of the valuables that had been littered.
Feb 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/crime/fl-hollywood-crane-cra...
Crane collapses on Hollywood street
No collateral damage or injuries
9:23 p.m. EST, February 1, 2012
A construction crane collapsed in Hollywood on Wednesday but there were no injuries and no damage to surrounding buildings or vehicles, according to Hollywood Police.
It happened around 6:30 p.m. when the crane jack-knifed and the end of the boom landed right in the middle of South 17th Avenue, just a few feet from a recently renovated two story residential building.
Neighbor Paul Cicciari was riding his bicycle in the area on Tuesday night and sensed something was wrong.
"It was squeaking so much that it concerned me," he said. "I moved back out of range of this sucker."
Hollywood Fire Rescue cordoned off the area between Harrison and Van Buren Streets until the crane could be repaired and removed.
The cause of the crane collapse, estimated at 300 feet, was not immediately known, Police Lt. Diana Pereira said.
Feb 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
A labourer killed, four injured in marriage hall building collapse
SIALKOT: One labourer was killed and four others sustained serious injuries in collapse of the outer walls and pillars during the digging of basement of a marriage hall in Sialkot city's congested Naikapura locality here on Thursday.
According to the Rescue 112 Sialkot officials, as many as five labourers were busy in digging the basement of an under construction marriage hall, where some pillars and outer walls suddenly collapsed on the labourers with big bang.
The rescuers of Rescue 1122 Sialkot rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area, pulling out the labourers from the debris. During this a labourer Rescue Bakhat Muneer died on the spot, while four other labourers Gul Khan, Sakhi Buhadar , Ehsan Ullah and Muhammad Nabi where shifted to Government Allama Iqbal Memorial DHQ Hospital Sialkot in critical condition. The deceased and injured labourers belonged to Swat. Naikapura police are investigating with no arrest.
Feb 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Another Building Collapses in Centro Havana
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=61188
February 2, 2012
The building in question is located on the centrally located street of Zanja, between Aramburu and Castillejo streets
HAVANA TIMES, Feb 2 — Another occupied building has collapsed in Havana, this time only partially and with no fatalities, but in the same district of Centro Havana.
This latest cave-in occurred this past Tuesday (January 31), only two weeks in the wake of a shocking and lethal collapse of a nearby building on Infanta Avenue.
The building in question is located on the centrally located street of Zanja, between Aramburu and Castillejo streets, just four blocks from the other occupied property that crumbed on the corner of Infanta and Salud. In that previous tragedy, three people died and six were injured.
Fortunately, this time there were not even injuries, let alone fatalities. One young resident of the building explained to me that the entire bottom portion of the building gave way, destroying several of the rooms.
What’s more, the implosion didn’t occur at once, but gradually, as rooms were demolished one by one. According to statements from neighbors, today the building’s residents decided to move their furniture out into the street, both out of fear that the roof would fall on them and to demonstrate their demand for a solution to this hazardous predicament.
The government sent a truck with pine beams to shore up the units, but residents remain seated on the sidewalk across the street, waiting for a real solution to this serious dilemma involving their homes.
Other residents, though, have refused to move into the ill-famed public shelters; they are waiting for a better option from the state. Although they have limited options for the moment, they know that stays in government shelters go on for many years before relocated residents have an opportunity to move into an apartment.
It goes without saying that generally the housing stock in Havana is in very poor condition. Being a 500-year-old city that is the victim of a blockade, the world economic crisis and the indolence of public and private owners, little else could be expected.
The Infanta collapse took place on January 17 and cleanup crews are still working at the site, where those workers have yet to finish demolishing the residual structure or remove all the debris. Meanwhile the block remains closed to traffic as iron barriers have been set up around it and a handful of policemen assigned to the site (though we found them dozing under a portico to escape the midday sun).
When the annual rains come in May, it’s possible that events like these could be repeated as the city’s housing crisis deepens.
From what has been announced, the new formula designed by the government to provide home improvement loans and grants doesn’t allow for major structural work, which is what is required for many of the
Feb 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Thursday, 2 February 2012
http://sawdis1.blogspot.com/2012/02/worker-dies-after-building-coll...
Worker dies after building collapse
A 27 year old man has died after a building collapsed on him while he was digging a trench at a building site in Macassar.
When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene they could see that the incident was severe. The entire building structure had collapsed to its one side into the trench the worker was digging.
Rescue workers used equipment to lift the building structure so that Emergency Medical Personnel could get to the worker. Unfortunately the worker sustained various crushing injuries and was later declared dead at the scene.
The appropriate authority will be investigating the incident further.
Feb 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
View Munjoy Street in a larger map Posted: 11:56 AM
Updated: 12:00 PM
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Collapse-of-19th-century-sewer-line...
Collapse of 19th-century sewer closes Portland street
PORTLAND — City workers are replacing 250 feet of antique sewer line after a section of Munjoy Street collapsed this morning.
A two- by four-foot hole, 12 feet deep, opened up in the street, between Moody and Wilson streets, after a city truck rolled over it while sanding the street, a city spokeswoman said.
The 18-inch diameter cement pipe was installed in 1860, said Nicole Clegg. It's unclear how long the line has been broken, but over time it eroded the road base leading to this morning's collapse.
Crews have installed a pump bypass so they can work to replace the section of line. The road will be closed until repairs are complete, which may not be until Friday, Clegg said.
Also this morning, Portland Water District crews are responding to a broken water line on Devonshire Street between Deering Avenue and Noyes Street. A leak in a 16-inch water main requires repairs, which could take until 7 p.m. tonight, said Michelle Clements, a spokeswoman for the district.
Feb 2, 2012
Vicky
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/feb/02/gorst-building-suddenly-b...
Gorst building suddenly begins to sink
GORST — The floor of a building supply company in Gorst suddenly sank 2 feet Thursday, throwing wood products into jumbled piles.
Rod Blake, owner of Beyond the Studs Building Supply on the 4100 block of Highway 16, told South Kitsap Fire and Rescue officials he was in the adjacent office when he heard the collapse in the showroom around 7 p.m.
Blake, who has been at the location for 13 years, said he's been having problems with flooding around the building since the city of Bremerton installed a sewer line through Gorst in 2010.
Fire officials cordoned off the area around the building and monitored its continued movement. Although the concrete foundation appeared intact, Battalion Chief Job Gudmundsen said he watched over a two-hour period and observed letters on a neon sign in a window above the showroom floor lowering at the rate of about 2 inches an hour.
Ceiling panels inside the building were buckling, and there was concern the roof would collapse.
Puget Sound Energy turned off the power. A convenience store and gas station whose building is attached to the sinking building appeared unharmed.
Jeff Rowe, Kitsap County's building inspector, initially suspected a water or sewer main leak but on speaking with Bremerton public works officials, he found there was no leak indicated in the city's telemetry equipment to support his theory.
"I'll know better if it's an imminent hazard as I continue to monitor it," said Rowe, who planned to stay on the site until he was sure the building had settled.
Kitsap County Fire Marshal officials also responded. Investigation of the building will continue in daylight. But for now, said Rowe, the cause of the sinking remains a mystery.
Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/feb/02/gorst-building-suddenly-b...
Feb 3, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Roof Collapses at Midtown Warehouse; No Injuries
Feb 3, 2012
http://www.ktuu.com/news/roof-collapses-at-midtown-warehouse-no-inj...
A roof collapse at a Midtown warehouse Friday morning caused no injuries to any of the five people in the building, according to the Anchorage Fire Department.
AFD spokesperson Al Tamagni Jr. says 13 units responded to the Southcentral Foundation warehouse at 4973 Eagle St. just before 10:30 a.m.
One of the people inside the warehouse heard the roof shake and warned people to clear the rear of the building, where the collapse occurred moments later. The force of the collapse blew out window at the front of the building.
One person was in the vicinity of the collapse when it happened, but everyone got out safely and has been accounted for.
Natural gas, power and water to the building were shut off, and fire inspectors examined the scene before the building was handed over to the owners Friday afternoon. Tamagni says no cause for the collapse has formally been determined.
While Southcentral Alaska was under heavy snowfall Friday, earlier this month city officials said there was no immediate concern about snow-induced roof collapses in the Anchorage Bowl due to requirements in building codes.
Feb 4, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_one-killed-five-injured-in...
One killed, five injured in tree collapse in Bangalore
One person was killed and five injured when a 200-year-old tree came down crashing on them in Nagashettyhalli, near Sanjaynagar, on Saturday afternoon.
The tree fell on Nagashettyhalli Main Road at 3.15pm. The deceased, Ravi Kumar, was a resident of Nagashettyhalli. He was going towards Sanjaynagar on his motorcycle when the tree collapsed on him. A car, two autorickshaws and two motorcycles were also stuck under the tree. Ravi was unlucky as the tree collapsed bang on him.
Auto driver Govardhan, whose auto was crushed, sustained fractures. Manjunatha, driver of the second damaged auto, said he would have lost his life had it not been for a few moments’ delay. Sujathamma, a flower vendor, too sustained injuries.
Mune Gowda, who works with HP gas agency and was one of those who lent a helping hand, said he noticed that the priest of Muneshwaraswamy temple, Ravi, was in a car crushed under the tree. He said he broke the car’s window and pulled out Ravi with the help of others.
Two persons who were seriously injured were rushed to MS Ramaiah Hospital in a police jeep as the ambulance got delayed by more than 15 minutes.
Along with police, firemen rushed to the spot for rescue work. About 50 persons, including policemen, firemen, Bescom employees and the local people, got down to cutting tree and clearing the road. The road was cleared for motorists only by 6.30pm. Till then, traffic was thrown out of gear in the area.
The body of the deceased was taken to MS Ramaiah Hospital for postmortem. The local corporator, Venkatesh, rushed to the spot. He said proper compensation would be given to the deceased and the injured.
Feb 5, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Boy Critically Injured After Dirt Tunnel Collapse: Temecula
Officials say incident occurred southeast of Long Canyon Creek Park
Source: Boy Critically Injured After Dirt Tunnel Collapse: Temecula | NBC S...
An 11-year-old boy was left in critical condition after a dirt tunnel collapsed on top of him in Temecula Sunday afternoon, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
The injured boy had been digging a tunnel with another 11-year-old boy on the side of a dry riverbed in an area southeast of 40356 N. General Kearny Road, according to Sgt. Sergeant K. McDonald.
As the children dug into the side of the dry riverbank , at about 4:10 p.m., a tunnel collapsed on top of one of the boys , McDonald said.
After the tunnel collapsed, the other child was able to yell for help, alerting two adults who helped dig the buried boy out while calling 911, according to a report.
Minutes later, officers from the Temecula police arrived to the scene and found the boy buried from his head to his legs. Fire and paramedic personnel repotedly assisted officers in unearthing the boy.
The boy was dug out from of the dirt and transported by ambulance to Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta for treatment, before being flown by helicopter to Children's Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, McDonald said.
An investigation into the incident was ongoing.
Feb 6, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/100-feared-trappe...
100 feared trapped in Pakistan building collapse: Official
AFP | Feb 6, 2012,11:42amLAHORE: Around 100 people, including women and children, were feared trapped Monday when a building collapsed in Pakistan's second largest city of Lahore, witnesses and an emergency official said.
Witnesses said about 150 people normally worked at the factory in the building in the eastern city's congested Multan Road neighbourhood. Officials said a gas cylinder explosion could have caused the accident.
"Initial reports say more than 100 people were present in the factory when it collapsed, possibly because of a gas cylinder explosion," rescue official Mohammed Aamir told AFP.
One body had been pulled out of the rubble and at least six injured people, most of them young children, rescued, he said.
The factory used to manufacture veterinary injections, Aamir said.
An photographer saw women and children being taken out with injuries and covered in dust.
Witnesses said that up to 150 people normally worked at the factory.
Feb 6, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097110/Philippines-earthqu...
Children among 13 dead as primary school collapses and homes are razed following earthquake in central Philippines
Dozens of houses were destroyed and children were crushed to death when their school building collapsed after a devastating earthquake hit the central Philippines this morning.
At least 13 people were killed, and 29 remain missing, after the 6.8-magnitude quake struck in a narrow strait just off Negros Island. A tsunami alert was issued after the disaster, but later lifted.
Thousands of residents were trapped in their homes as a landslide hit the city of Guihulngan in Negros Oriental province.
Chaos: Dozens of houses were destroyed and children were crushed to death when their school building collapsed after a devastating earthquake hit the central Philippines this morning
Escape: Filipinos came out onto open grounds in Cebu City following the quake
City Mayor Ernesto Reyes said: 'Their situation is bad because if you are covered by landslide for one hour, two hours, how can you breathe? But we just hope for the best, that there are still survivors.' He said rescuers were using picks and shovels to dig for survivors.
Reyes said at least 10 people were confirmed dead in his city, including students at a college and an elementary school and others in a market that collapsed. About 100 were injured.
The quake, which hit at 11.49am (0349 GMT), triggered another landslide in the mountain village of Solongon in La Libertad town, also in Negros Oriental.
An unknown number of people were trapped, said La Libertad police chief inspector Eric Arrol Besario, who added: 'We're now getting shovels and chain saws to start a rescue because there were people trapped inside. Some of them were yelling for help earlier.'
Three key bridges in the town suffered cracks and were no longer passable, he said. Philippine seismologists briefly issued a tsunami alert for the central islands.
Terror
Feb 6, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Crawler crane boom collapse in Nova Scotia
February 6, 2012
http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/14139/
Thankfully no one was injured in the incident, which occurred while a bridge was being dismantled. The crane, owned and operated by A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment of Dartmouth, near Antigonish, was working from a barge, removing a 55 ton span of the former railway bridge, when the boom appears to have buckled dropping the load.
The span was being lowered at the time and was around six metres from the ground, when the barge started to move and the boom gave way. Four men, including the crane operator, were working on the barge when the load came down, all escaped with minor injuries at worst.
An investigation into exactly what happened is currently ongoing.
Feb 6, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
At least five people were killed early Monday when a residential building collapsed in Montazah, Alexandria, in the second building collapse in the city this week, state-run MENA reported.
Khaled Ghoraba, Alexandria security chief, said five families were likely inside the 14-story building when it collapsed.
Another building collapsed on Saturday, killing the doorman and a child walking by at the time. Authorities had ordered the eviction and demolition of the 10-story building, which was empty at the time of the collapse.
In December 2010, a building that comprised a clothes factory collapsed killing 26 people and injuring 10 others.
Building collapses are a frequent problem in the coastal city, with several incidents occurring in recent years.
In 2007, a building collapsed in the Loran neighborhood, killing 36 and injuring three people. In 2008, a building collapsed in the Fleming neighborhood, killing 21 and injuring eight.
Rescue Workers Search Alexandria Building Collapse
http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/492629
Feb 6, 2012
Andrey Eroshin
Third building collapses in one week in Egypt
31.01.12. A building in the center of Damietta collapsed on Tuesday evening, killing six people and injuring 28 others.
http://news.egypt.com/english/permalink/81077.html
Feb 6, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dam-bursts-bulgaria-f...
Dam Bursts in Bulgaria, 8 Killed in Floods
A dam in southern Bulgaria burst Monday after days of heavy rain, sending an eight-foot-high (2.5-meter) torrent surging through a village along the Greek border. The disaster brought the region's toll from flooding to eight dead, 10 missing.
The dam on the Ivanovo Reservoir collapsed, flooding 700 houses in the village of Bisser, civil defense chief Nikolai Nikolov said. Four bodies were found in the raging waters, three of them elderly men, the Bisser mayor reported.
A reporter at Bisser saw the muddy water crashing into homes, tossing cars, drowning animals and uprooting trees. Many homes were destroyed and some residents had to climb onto their roofs to escape.
Many in Bisser had to be rescued from their water-logged homes and were spending the night in emergency shelters. Officials were still assessing the damage late Monday.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in much of southern Bulgaria due to the heavy rain. District governor Irena Uzunova said four others were killed and 10 people are still missing in the floods that have washed away bridges and roads.
Bulgaria's civil defense agency warned that two bigger dams at Ivaylovgrad and Studena were also on the brink of overflowing and residents were urged to prepare for an evacuation. The government also warned Turkey and Greece of floods surging down the Arda, Tundzha and Maritsa rivers.
Prime Minister Boiko Borisov and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov came to the flooded region late Monday and pledged emergency aid.
Train services were suspended in southern Bulgaria and many roads remained closed, submerged under water or badly damaged.
Rain-soaked landslides also derailed the engine of an Istanbul-bound train near the border town of Svilengrad, causing no injuries but stranding passengers for hours.
In neighboring Turkey, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported that due to flood warnings some businesses and villagers close to river banks near the Bulgarian border had started to evacuate. Authorities said only large trucks were being allowed to travel between Bulgaria and Turkey due to the flooding.
Feb 6, 2012
Love is the answer
Pakistan: Dozens feared trapped in deadly factory collapse
Feb 6, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Two killed, six injured in roof collapse incident in Pishin
PISHIN, (SANA): At least two persons were killed and six others injured when roof of a building collapsed in Khanozai area of Pishin district on Monday.
Police sources said that roof of a restaurant caved in due to heavy snowfall.
Resultantly, two men sitting inside the hall of the restaurant were killed and six others received wounds. The killed include a passenger and owner of the hotel. Rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to nearby hospital where condition of the some was stated to be serious.
An official of the district administration Pishin said that they had been investigating the incident.
It is pertinent to mention here that Khanozai, a small town located on Quetta-Zhob highway is famous for its highest literacy rate regarding girls across Balochistan province.
Ends-SANA-ZS
Feb 6, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/02/06/wall-of-bricks-collapse...
Wall Of Bricks Collapses Onto Sidewalk In East Oakland
February 6, 2012 11:25 AM
Scene where the facade of a corner liquor store collapsed onto the pavement at the corner of 13th Ave. and International Blvd. in Oakland, February 6, 2012.
OAKLAND (CBS SF) – What was first reported as a building explosion in Oakland early Monday morning turned out to be the facade collapse of an aging building.
Emergency officials had responded to the scene, at 13th and International, a building that houses Express Liquor and Market as well as several work-live units.
The call first came in to the fire department at approximately 6:15 a.m.
“It looks like dry rot or masonry degraded over time and it just way,” explained one of the firefighters summoned to the scene.
“I’d say roughly 1,000 lbs. if I was guessing,” the firefighter estimated the size of rubble on the sidewalk.
Normally, there is a lot of foot traffic in and out of the market, making it especially remarkable that there were no injuries in the incident. Still, the facade actually stretches halfway down the block, and engineers were expressing concern about whether the roughly 75-year-old structure had become so unstable that additional brick work could give way at any time.
Consequently, the sidewalk and one lane of traffic was blocked off indefinitely.
Feb 7, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_middleeast_africa/2012-02-07...
Deadly Building Collapse in Cairo
Feb 7, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/americas/view/201202...
Partial collapse of building kills 1 in Brazil
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 - Added 4 hours ago
SAO PAULO — Brazilian firefighters say a 13-story building has partially collapsed in an industrial suburb outside Sao Paulo, killing a 3-year-old girl.
Fire department spokeswoman Vanessa Andrade says the concrete floor of the top story collapsed, taking with it all of the other floors in the building. The shell of the structure remains standing.
She says the causes of the Monday night accident in Sao Bernardo do Campo are being investigated.
Six people suffered injuries that are not life-threatening.
Andrade says at least one person is known to be missing. She is a 25-year-old nurse.
Andrade says most of the building’s 74 units were occupied by commercial and doctors’ offices and one luncheonette.
Feb 7, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Public safety: Two children die in wall collapse
Three others hospitalised with minor injuries.
Two children died and three others were injured on Tuesday when the wall of a building collapsed.
Rescue officials said that the children were playing in an empty plot adjacent to a dilapidated house in Sodaywala near Uch Sharif when the wall fell.
Ajmal, 10, and Sajid, 8, were trapped beneath the rubble and died Shahid, 7, Zahida, 10, and Fiza, 5, were injured in the incident. The injured children were taken to Health Centre, where doctors treating them later said they were now out of danger.
Akhtar, father of one of the injured children, told The Express Tribune that the children often played in the plot. He said on Tuesday afternoon, the residents of the area heard a loud noise.
They rushed to see what had happened and found the wall had collapsed. He said they could hear the screams of the injured children, but it took then an hour to pull them out. Two of them, he said, were dead when they were pulled out.
One of the doctor said that the remaining children had received only minor injuries to the head and back.
Investigation officer Mahar Altaf said that the investigation into the case had started.
Feb 8, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.portugaldailyview.com/01-whats-new/accident-five-dead-fo...
Accident: Five dead following building site collapse
The victims were working on expanding the back section of a market building in the city of Setúbal at the time of the accident.
Five construction workers were killed when a wall gave way and collapsed on top of them in the Livramento Municipal Market in the city of Setúbal.
According to news agency Lusa, the five were working on expanding the back section of the building at the time of the accident.
Feb 9, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=91946&Cat=5...
Lahore, Pakistan
TWO labourers were killed and five others sustained injuries when a tower which was being installed collapsed and fell on them in the Gujjarpura police area on Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Mohsin and Hassan, residents of Rahim Yar Khan. The injured were identified as Shahnaz Bibi, Robina Bibi and three labourers, including Manzoor. A manager of a private cellular company was getting a tower installed at the outhouse of Bao Shaukat, a resident of Karol Pind at Gujjarpura.
Two workers were fixing wires at the tower when all of a sudden the tower collapsed. As a result, the workers fell down and died on the spot while the five aforementioned people, including two women of the said company, sustained injuries.
Feb 10, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Passaic, NJ
Ceiling collapse forces part of Passaic library to close
PASSAIC — The children’s room of the city’s main public library has been closed indefinitely following the collapse of a plaster ceiling in the 82-year-old building.
Although the popular room for young readers was not damaged, it shares the second floor with a large meeting room, which is where the ceiling fell on Jan. 31. The entire floor has been closed to the public and staff as a precaution, authorities said Thursday.
Feb 10, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Knutsford, NW UK
Part of King Street closed after wall falls down
5:46pm Thursday 9th February 2012
A ROAD in the centre of Knutsford has been closed after a wall collapsed.
The wall fell down shortly after 5pm and eyewitnesses told the Guardian the part of the wall that had fallen was the one supporting Adams Court.
As a result police have closed the bottom end of King Street off, near the train station.
Network Rail have been informed but police said they do not believe it will affect trains crossing the bridge.
Earlier in the week, Steve Edwards, from Sheldons, had told the Guardian that the section of wall, close to the railway bridge itself, was looking unsafe.
"If you look up about 10ft it is bowing badly and the black morter is being squeezed onto the pavement it looks very dangerous," he said.
He emailed the council on Tuesday, February 7.
An employee at nearby Autoden who saw it collapse said: "It was lucky that no-one was walking near it.
"They've shut the road and the fire brigade are here. You can still get out of King Street in the direction of Mobberley though.
"We've had a few people coming to look at the wall recently."
Feb 10, 2012
Kojima
Thanks, Starr.
* Lahore, Pakistan; * Passaic, NJ; * Knutsford, NW UK on Google Map.
Feb 10, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-constructionaccid,0,32...
Crane falls at Mich. construction site; 3 hurt
February 10, 2012
Authorities say a 250-foot-tall crane collapsed onto a building at a construction site at the Kent County jail complex in Grand Rapids, injuring three people.
The Grand Rapids Press (http://bit.ly/ytPLnb ) reports that the jail was placed on lockdown following Friday morning's collapse. Kent County Undersheriff Jon Hess described the injuries to a construction worker and two Kent County jail trustees as minor.
The department says all inmates were accounted for.
Images from the scene showed part of the crane leaning against a building. A garage area where sheriff's vehicles are kept was damaged.
The main jail that houses inmates apparently wasn't damaged. Hess says they're checking the structural integrity of that building.
Hess says the crane that fell has been used for seven months on a $27 million renovation project.
Feb 10, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Crane collapses on Port Mann Bridge
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120210/bc_crane_...
CTV News Video
Date: Friday Feb. 10, 2012 1:29 PM PT
Construction on the Port Mann bridge has been halted for the day after a gantry crane collapsed over the bridge's new deck Friday morning, dropping a 90-tonne concrete chunk into the river below.
The yellow, 720-tonne crane, used to move 90-tonnes of concrete bridge sections, fell down just after 8 a.m.
There were people working near the crane when it collapsed, and one of the bridge segments fell into the water, but no one was injured. Work on the bridge was stopped for the day, and WorkSafe BC and the contractor are investigating the cause of the collapse.
Max Logan, with the Port Mann/Highway 1 Project, said it is too soon to tell whether the incident will delay or impact construction.
Feb 11, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2012/02/11/motorists-war...
Motorists warned as road sinks
Matt Deans | 11th February 2012
The damaged surface of Pine Creek Way.
IT'S the sort of major roadway collapse you'd expect to see in an earthquake zone, but this subsidence has happened under the weight of heavy rain on Pine Creek Way.
A large tract of the road surface has sunk about half a metre after a landslip.
Roads and Maritime Service engineers placed safety barriers around the site about six months ago but heavy rain in recent weeks has caused the road to collapse.
Residents, who regularly use the Old Pacific Hwy link between Bonville and Raleigh, are concerned for their safety now cracks have spread from the hole in the road.
Pacific Highway Action Group spokeswoman Kye Kovac said there were obvious safety concerns over motorists using the damaged roadway.
"The safety signage is poor and not adequate enough, I don't even know why people are still driving on it to tell the truth," Ms Kovac said.
Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) is investigating the road damage.
A spokeswoman said the matter had been taken up with the contractor for the Bonville upgrade project, as early diagnosis suggests a landslip due to recent heavy rain.
An inspection of the entire service road is also under way to check if there are any other sections vulnerable to landslips.
"Strengthening and repair plans for the whole length are being finalised and work is scheduled to be completed by mid-2012, weather permitting," the spokeswoman said.
"RMS will ensure the road is kept safe and changed traffic conditions will be in place for all road users until the work is finalised and damage repaired," she said.
Feb 11, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Canterbury TV building collapse 2 minutes after Christchurch quake
February 8, 2012
Feb 11, 2012
Kojima
Thanks, Starr and Astrogal.
* Kent County Jail, Grand Rapids, MI; * Port Mann Bridge, BC, Canada; Sao Paulo, Brazil (Another Building Collapse); * Pine Creek Way, CA on Google Map.
Feb 11, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
1 killed, 2 hurt in building collapse
One person died and two were injured when part of a wall of an under construction building in Parel collapsed on them. While Mohhammad Mustaf Shaikh, 27, was declared dead on arrival at KEM Hospital, Mohhammad Mujamal Shaikh (27 years) and Mohhammad Jasmit Shaikh (23 years) have been admitted to KEM for treatment.
The mishap occurred around 5 pm inAmbedkar Colony. “There is an under-construction building in Ambedkar Colony, near Manohar Decorators’. A part of a compound wall gave way and collapsed on the construction workers who got trapped in the debris," said a civic official. It took the fire brigade over two hours to rescue the injured from the debris, said a fire officer.
“In case there is faulty construction work, it will be investigated by the BMC’s building construction department. Also in case the safety measures are not abided by, thecivic administration can give the developer notice for the same.”
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/1-killed-2-hurt-in-building-colla...
Feb 13, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/worker-buried-alive-in-sand...
Worker buried alive in sand collapse in UAQ
UMM AL QUWAIN // A Pakistani man has died after the sandpit in which he was working collapsed around him at an excavation site in Umm Al Quwain.
Three other men who were working at the site were rescued as sand filled the hole. The accident happened on Saturday at 1pm near Emirates Road.
Police received a call about the accident and immediately rushed to the scene with ambulances and rescue crews.
"The accident occurred during the drilling process," said Lt Col Khamis Saleem Buharoon, the director of the police operations department.
"The four workers were returning to the sandpit after installing electric cables when their cluster collapsed and they got buried in the sand. Police are investigating with the company because it had neglected some safety procedures like pouring water on the desert sand to prevent it from moving."
Lt Col Buharoon urged all excavation companies to follow safety procedures and not risk people's lives.
Feb 13, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/02/13/rain-wreaks-havoc-in-lagos-one-...
Rain Wreaks Havoc In Lagos, One Killed
Published on February 13, 2012 by pmnews · 25 Comments
•A Toyota Camry car damaged by a large signpost during the storm at Obalende, Lagos this morning.
An early morning rain today wreaked havoc in parts of Lagos. The rain which destroyed about 20 buildings at Sabo, Yaba area of Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, also led to the collapse of some masts.
•A Toyota Camry car damaged by a large signpost during the storm at Obalende, Lagos this morning.
One of the masts fell on a car and another crushed a victim to death in Obalende. The dead victim was said to be a teacher at St. Gregory’s College, Obalende. The two occupants of the car escaped death.
Areas badly affected in the mainland include Herbert Macaulay Way, Oyadiran Estate, Sabo, Murtala Muhammed Way and parts of Oyingbo.
About 20 roof-tops were blown off including that of Silverbird Cinemas at Commercial Avenue, Yaba.
A mast reportedly fell on a Toyota car and a tricycle popularly known as ‘ Keke Marwa” was also crushed.
P.M.NEWS learnt that the mast that fell on the road caused a serious traffic gridlock around Herbert Macaulay Way, Murtala Muhammed Way, Sabo and parts of Yaba and Oyingbo.
A billboard fell on the police residential quarters in Adekunle area. A police officer, Supol Raheem Ganiyu told P.M.NEWS that he was already at work when his wife called him this morning and told him that a billboard had fallen on their home.
At the University of Lagos, the roof of Moremi Female Hostel was blown off by the storm that took the students by surprise.
Feb 13, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://ilovechile.cl/2012/02/14/80-chilean-tourists-stranded-machu-...
80 Chilean tourists stranded near Machu Picchu
Due to a collapsed road, the tourists are stranded high in the Andes Mountains. Photo: Matt Niner
AGUAS CALIENTES, PERU - Due to a collapse of a street section near the archeological area, about 80 Chileans remain stranded near Machu Picchu, between Santa María and Santa Teresa, the province of La Convención in Cusco, near Machu Picchu. They have been unable to leave do to heavy rain and dangerous conditions.
One of the person trapped is Milenka Cubillos, who communicated through Twitter about the conditions the tourists are currently in. Many of them walked to Aguas Calientes, while around ten stayed waiting for the authorities to take them away.
“The majority of the Chileans went to Aguas Calientes, some of us we are staying here (at Hidroeléctrica) because the rain is too heavy! We need a solution…” she posted on the social network.
The chancellorship has already contacted the Chilean consul in Tacna and Lima, which started to achieve information about the isolated tourists.
Feb 14, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Two-women-killed-as-old-building...
Two women killed as old building collapses in Pataudi
Sanjay Yadav, TNN | Feb 15, 2012, 02.54AM ISTGURGAON: Two sisters were killed in a building collapse in Pataudi on Tuesday afternoon.. One of them was married and mother of four children while the other was an 18-year-old unmarried girl.
Police said the building must have collapsed because it was too old. According to the police, the incident took place in Ward No. 11 on Monday afternoon. In this ward one Saddik was living in his old house with his and his extended family and had constructed an extra room on the first floor.
On Tuesday when the building collapsed, Saddik and his brother-in-law Shaukeen were out of town and Saddik's wife Shabnam and her sister Ayesha were at home. The children, Mujefir, Tofik, Sahil and Vahida, were in school. In the afternoon, the house collapsed suddenly and Shabnam and his sister Ayesha were buried under the debris.
The women's bodies were extricated from the rubble with the help of a JCB machine. Neighbours said said that the house was very old and could not bear the weight of the extra room built on the first floor. Meanwhile, relatives and friends who had gone to collect the bodies objected to a postmortem.
However, Hamid Akhtar, DCP (West), and SDM Vatsal Vashistha who were there convinced them and made them agree to the postmortem of the bodies. Police did not register an FIR because no one had lodged any complaint.
Feb 15, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/021...
Man injured in tower collapse
03:01 PM CST on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
By Donna Fielder / Staff Writer
A worker escaped death Tuesday when a communications tower he was climbing toppled, sending him and the tower to the ground.
The accident happened at a gas well site just off Florence Road near Ponder, said Denton County Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Caley. About 11 a.m. Castro Compression Company workers were erecting the 40-foot tower, used for communications between well sites, when the 21-year-old employee began climbing it.
“He was about 30 feet up, and he apparently didn’t realize they were working on it at the base,” Caley said. “It began falling over, and he went down with it.”
The sheriff’s captain said the ground was soft from recent rains, which lessened the impact when the worker hit the ground and the tower hit him. He suffered chest injuries and was taken to an area hospital by Ponder Fire Department paramedics. The injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Caley said.
Feb 15, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Another Crane Collapse in NYC
http://www.christianpost.com/news/world-trade-center-crane-collapse...
World Trade Center Crane Collapses; Accident Halts Construction (PHOTOS)
The cord attached to a crane hoisting a pile of steel beams hundreds of feet into the air snapped during construction at the World Trade Center site Thursday, causing about a hundred workers to scramble to safety. No one appeared to be seriously hurt.
What looked to be steel high-beams fell at about 9:56 a.m. at the WTC site in downtown Manhattan. The steel high-beams, attached to a crane perched on top of a new building under construction at the site, plummeted to the ground when the crane cable snapped. The accident occurred near Cortlandt Street, near the site of the 9/11 memorial.
Fire trucks, emergency response vehicles and several police cars arrived on the scene within minutes, and the site of the crane collapse was soon roped off. The construction site was shut down for further investigation near Building 4.
People working near the World Trade Center site on Cortlandt Street and Broadway heard a tremendous "boom" as the steel-beams fell through the air and landed on a flatbed truck.
Police sources revealed that one worker was injured after the steel fell an estimated 40 stories before crashing to the ground. However, the worker did not want to receive medical treatment, according to the New York Daily News.
Although the accident seemed to shake up workers, it was contained within the construction area.
Feb 16, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/1-killed-2-hurt-in-building-colla...
1 killed, 2 hurt in building collapse
One person died and two were injured when part of a wall of an under construction building in Parel collapsed on them. While Mohhammad Mustaf Shaikh, 27, was declared dead on arrival at KEM Hospital, Mohhammad Mujamal Shaikh (27 years) and Mohhammad Jasmit Shaikh (23 years) have been admitted to KEM for treatment.
The mishap occurred around 5 pm inAmbedkar Colony. “There is an under-construction building in Ambedkar Colony, near Manohar Decorators’. A part of a compound wall gave way and collapsed on the construction workers who got trapped in the debris," said a civic official. It took the fire brigade over two hours to rescue the injured from the debris, said a fire officer.
“In case there is faulty construction work, it will be investigated by the BMC’s building construction department. Also in case the safety measures are not abided by, thecivic administration can give the developer notice for the same.”
Feb 17, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/30408-building-evacuated-in-sido...
Building Evacuated in Sidon after Parts of it Collapse
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Civil Defense teams evacuated on Friday a building in the Sidon district in southern Lebanon.
The building, Jana Omari, was evacuated after some parts of it collapsed, reported MTV.
Voice of Lebanon radio also spoke of cracks emerging in the building’s walls.
On January 15, 27 people were killed and 12 wounded when a building collapsed in the Ashrafiyeh district in Beirut.
The collapse had raised fears of similar accidents taking place throughout Lebanon because several buildings were constructed without the necessary safety measures and with the government’s negligence of this issue.
Furthermore, several of them were constructed illegally during the country’s civil war.
Feb 17, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
River road on west bank shut down after conveyer runway collapses in Ama
Feb 17, 2012, 3:43 PM
AMA, La. - A conveyer runway at the ADM Grain facility collapsed over the levee near the Mississippi River around 1 p.m. Friday forcing the closure in both directions of River Road on the west bank (Hwy. 18) in the 11000 block.
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office said residents should prepare for an extended road closure in that area. Currently there is no set time estimate for reopening. Law enforcement personnel are stationed at Barton Avenue in Luling and South Kenner Road in Waggaman to facilitate detours via Highway 90. Plans have been made to ensure emergency vehicles can pass through the closure area.
The St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center said even though runway did not collapse on the road, it was closed over concerns about structural instability.
Feb 18, 2012