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.ottawacitizen.com/news/Canterbury+ceiling+collapse+promp...
Canterbury ceiling collapse prompts inspections of all City of Ottawa buildings
The Ottawa Citizen February 17, 2012 5:09 PM
OTTAWA — Municipal officials are inspecting all city-owned buildings after a ceiling collapsed on some square-dancing seniors at the Canterbury Community Centre in southeast Ottawa Wednesday night.
Three seniors in their 70s were taken to hospital with cuts and bruises when a piece of wood stuck in between two beams of the concrete ceiling fell to the floor of Hall B just before 8 p.m.
The piece of wood is called a baffle and was a popular carpentry tool when it was installed in 1965, said Peter Hume, the councillor for the area. Inspectors will now be removing similar configurations from other city buildings, he said.
“We have a lot of buildings that are in that age group and so we’re going through all of them and if we see any of this type of construction we’re going to take it out,” he said.
The building was fine the last time inspectors checked on the Canterbury Community Centre in 2003, he said. Facilities such as that one are supposed to be inspected every 10 years, meaning it was next due to be looked at before the end of 2013.
Officials looked at the baffles but they didn’t x-ray them the way they might do for some other buildings, he said.
The city is currently conducting an investigation into what caused the collapse, wrote Jocelyne Turner, spokeswoman for the City of Ottawa, in an email. They’ve also called in an outside building engineer to help make sure the building is safe.
“This is an unfortunate and isolated incident,” she wrote.
There is nothing structurally wrong with the building, she wrote.
Hall B is closed to community groups who had previously booked it for use over the next few days but the rest of the facility remains open, she wrote. The city is working with those groups that have been displaced to find them new space for their activities.
There were about 30 people dancing in the room when the incident took place.
Feb 18, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.lex18.com/news/wall-collapse-at-popular-lincoln-co-hallo...
Wall Collapse At Popular Lincoln Co. Halloween Attraction
Posted: Feb 16, 2012 6:12 AM
Updated: Feb 16, 2012 7:48 AM
Bricks and mortar fell into the street when a wall collapsed at a popular central Kentucky Halloween attraction Wednesday night.
The owner of the old Hustonville Haunted House on Main Street in Lincoln County says the wall fell around 8 p.m., leaving an 8-foot hole in the side of the 100-plus year old building. Paul Gray says he thinks a combination of age and water damage caused the collapse.
Gray says he expects the popular haunted house will be ready to go for its 19th Halloween season later this year.
Old Liberty Road remains blocked while crews clean up the mess.
Nobody was hurt.
Feb 18, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Mississippi River........ Another article with pictures of the grain elevator that collapsed and now lies across the Mississippi levee.
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2012/02/ama_bisected_after_co...
Ama bisected after collapse of grain elevator crossing
The collapse of a conveyor system at an Ama grain elevator could result in an "extended closure" of River Road in the area, while company officials determine the extent of the damage.
The closure will be inconvenient to residents of the community of about 1,300 located just upriver from Waggaman on the west bank of St. Charles Parish. Many will be required to drive miles out of their way to go around the roadblock.
The conveyor at the ADM Growmark elevator collapsed on the north side of Louisiana 18 early Friday afternoon. The road wasn't blocked or damaged, but authorities quickly blocked traffic because company officials wanted to determine the integrity of the structure above the roadway that connects the elevator and the docks on the Mississippi River.
Deputies are blocking River Road at South Kenner Avenue in Waggaman and in the vicinity of Barton Avenue in Luling. Residents on both sides of the elevator must detour to U.S. 90 until further notice.
Company officials told parish officials that no injuries reported the incident.
Parish officials say that emergency vehicles will continue to have access to the community.
Company officials could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
Feb 18, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.laneytower.com/news/building-front-collapses-1.2784754#....
Building front collapses
Published: Thursday, February 16, 2012
Updated: Friday, February 17, 2012 20:02
Michael Sanders/Laney Tower
The rubble has been cleared from the area, but it still unclear whether the building is safe.
The Oakland police received a call about an explosion from concerned residents of a local community on Feb. 6.
When police arrived there were no signs of an explosion, just hundreds of bricks that had fallen from the Express Market and liquor store located at 1250 International Blvd.
No one was hurt in the unexpected avalanche. Oakland Police investigated the premises 15 minutes after the accident. Firefighters arrived almost immediately since the site is directly across the street from a fire department.
Local residents, passersby, and school children took time to stop and look in amazement as a two-man work crew piled the heavy debris on the sidewalk. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined by investigators, as they look further into what might have caused the building to suddenly lose some of its exterior.
One local resident, Susan Li, commented, "I am happy no one was walking by and got hurt. Maybe it has been a long time since the building has been retrofitted." Workers say that it will take quite some time to repair the building. Costs of repair, which the owner is responsible for, are currently unknown.
The store and the corner that it resides on will be roped off until the fire department can determine if further collapse is possible. Hassan Ahmed who rents the building was very upset and has no idea when he will be open for business. "I don't know anything, I am surprised I came to open and the police were here. I am glad no one was hurt."
Feb 18, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
China concert seating collapse injures 64
February 18, 2012 04:28 GMT
BEIJING (AP) -- A seating section has collapsed at a concert by Hong Kong pop star Wang Fei in southwest China, injuring 64 people.
The state-run Beijing News says concertgoers suffered cuts, broken bones and head injuries after scaffolding behind the stage broke apart Friday night. Those seated in the area fell about 5 feet (1.5 meters) to the concrete floor of the city of Chongqing's Olympic stadium.
The paper says none of the injuries is life-threatening. The concert has been rescheduled for Monday.
Wang, also known as Faye Wong, was one of the Chinese-speaking world's biggest stars in the 1980s and 1990s and still boasts a massive fan base in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Chinese communities overseas.
Feb 18, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Lober fire station in Sewickley Township partially collapses
Sunday, February 19, 2012
A fire station in Sewickley Township partially collapsed on Thursday night.
Lowber fire Chief Brian Nicholls said the building on Lowber Road had structural damage, but no one was injured in the collapse.
The fire department was holding a meeting on Saturday morning to discuss the damage, he said.
Nicholls would not provide any further details about the collapse, including the cause or the extent of damage.
Read more: Lober fire station in Sewickley Township partially collapses - Pitt... http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_...
Feb 19, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/man_trapped_in_northam...
Published on Monday 20 February 2012 07:40
Man trapped in Northampton home during gas leak as cracks appear across ceiling and walls
A TENANT was trapped in his home with a gas leak in his cellar and a house that was starting to cave in, after an electricity sub-station next door began to sink.
The sub-station, in St Edmund’s Road, Northampton town centre, had wide cracks at the top of an outer wall yesterday and another running almost the height of the back wall after subsidence caused the foundations to shift on Saturday morning.
Hein Swart, aged 34, said he was woken by the sound of his home cracking under strain from the adjacent building but was unable to get out the front door.
He said: “I thought it was kids on the roof or something, but I went downstairs and saw cracks all along the ceiling, one an inch wide, and more across the walls.
“I went to get out the door straight away but the wall had pushed down on it and it wouldn’t open,” he told the Chron.
“I could hear the fire brigade outside say they were going to kick the door in but I had to tell him that wasn’t such a good idea, given what it was supporting.”
On eventually getting outside – his back garden has no access to a main road – the firefighter, who had begun to evacuate Mr Swart’s neighbours, detected a strong smell of gas and police were called to close off the road.
Firefighters later found that the cellars of Mr Swart’s home and three others were filled with gas as the subsidence had ruptured a main pipe underground.
Jim Dorrell, the Mereway station manger, said: “When there is electricity and gas together, there is always a danger of an explosion so we evacuated people and called out the utility companies to make sure people were safe.
“The gas main can’t be turned off like a water pipe so they let it leak out into the atmosphere where it is harmless to reduce the levels.
“You can have too much gas for an explosion or too little and we were trying to keep it out of that dangerous middle ground.”
The partial collapse also caused an underground water leak so workers from all three utilities were called out by fire crews.
Others workmen erected scaffolding to safeguard against further collapse of the substation, which serves a number of businesses in the town centre.
Police said early indications were that the closure of St Edmund’s Road could last for several days, with disruption to traffic in the immediate area, although evacuated residents were believed to be allowed home by last night.
Feb 20, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article2914015.ece
5 hurt in building collapse
Staff Reporter
A house in Park Town, said to be over 100 years old, collapsed partially on Monday morning injuring five persons, including the owner. Police said the condition of the injured persons is stable. The wife of the owner, who was inside the building, escaped unhurt.
The accident occurred at 11.45 a.m. when a portion of the wall on the first floor of the house belonging to Hansraj (75), located on Ekambareswarar Koil, Agraharam Street in Mahaveer Market, came down crashing.
“The huge wall came down in a second and a tempo driver walking on the road was trapped under the debris. Other sections of the building followed suit,” said V. Siva, an employee of a shop in the market, who witnessed the incident.
Bystanders and shopkeepers rushed in and pulled out the man, later identified as Durairaj (35) who had parked his vehicle in the market and was walking towards a shop, Siva said.
Elephant Gate police said a few workers were involved in demolishing a section of the house.
Feb 20, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/9-year-old-killed-in...
9-year-old killed in wall collapse
Nitasha Natu, TNN | Feb 21, 2012, 12.52AM ISTMUMBAI: A nine-year-old boy was killed after the compound wall of a 32-year-old building collapsed on him in Dahisar (E) on Monday. The victim, Prathamesh Mahadik, was walking on a common path between the building and a chawl where he stayed on DN Dube Road when the incident took place around 4.20pm.
The Dahisar police have written to the BMC to ascertain if negligence charges can be applied in the case. As of now, an accidental death case has been registered. Prathamesh, a Std III student of St Xavier's school in Dahisar (E), . His father Gajana, ran a lottery tickets store. The family stayed at Arjun Mandal chawl. "The compound wall belonged to Jayant Patan Mandal building," which was constructed in 1979," . The five-feet high wall fenced a 1500 square feet ground and was dilapidated. It suddenly gave way while Prathamesh was walking down a common between the building and the chawl," investigating officer Deepak Girkar said. As Sunday was his day off, Prathamesh's mother had sent him to a neighbouring shop to buy tea along with his sister Riya (6), who escaped unhurt as she was walking way ahead of him. Prathamesh was rushed to the Bhagwati Hospital after Riya summoned their neighbours. Doctors declared him dead at the hospital. Prathamesh had sustained severe head injuries besides internal injuries and there was immense blood loss, doctors said.
Officials from the BMC and the fire brigade visited the spot.
The BMC will conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Feb 20, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://kojects.com/2012/02/20/subway-construction-suspected-in-inch...
Subway Construction Suspected in Incheon Street Collapse
February 20, 2012 2 Comments
Police are investigating a road which has collapsed above a subway construction site in Incheon. On the 18th of February at 3:20pm, the center of a six lane road collapsed in front of an apartment building in Wanggil-dong, a suburb in the western district of Incheon. Sadly, a 50 year old man riding a motorcycle over the piece of road at the time of collapse fell into the hole but died several hours later in hospital. Water was cut to several thousand households in Wanggil-dong and neighbouring Oryu-dong, but was restored later that night. Police are focusing on CCTV footage and have maintained a detour around the site while carrying out their investigation.
Below the road, the tunnel for Incheon’s line number 2 was being dug out and police suspect that construction somehow caused the road foundations to become weak. Construction on Incheon’s second line began in June 2009 and is expected to be completed in 2014. Wanggil-dong is located on the northern part of the subway line which will continue south and provide new rail access to the many areas of Incheon still without it. Depending on the results of the investigation into the incident, Incheon may see itself having to wait even longer for the new line. Incheon’s first inner city subway was opened in 1999.
Watch out for a more detailed post on Incheon’s Line 2 in the future.
Sources: Yonhap News | KBS World | Daum Maps
Feb 20, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1135196--mississauga-house-turn...
House on Cawthra Road in Mississauga collapses
Peel Regional Police are investigating a house collapse at on Cawthra Rd. near Bloor St. in Mississauga on Wednesday morning.
The house, which was built in the 1940s, was undergoing construction when for unknown reasons, it collapsed to the ground.
Three construction workers were at the scene at 8:30 a.m. when it happened, but were not inside the building and escaped what could have been serious injuries.
After the collapse, Mississauga firefighters were on scene and detected the smell of gas, prompting a visit from Enbridge Gas and the temporary evacuation of two nearby homes.
Toula Kalantzakos, a resident on the street for 28 years, never saw a problem with the house in the past.
“It’s a nice house,” she said. “I saw some construction at the back. I think they were making it bigger.”
The now site belongs to Olympia Windows and Doors, a company that specializes in windows for older and heritage homes. The company renovated the house at 3447 Cawthra Rd. in 1991 and converted the lot to Olympia’s showroom and office.
The company is owned by Emilio Lavignasse and his wife. He said he was too busy for an interview.
Feb 22, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://dallas-hiram.patch.com/articles/swafford-wind-contributing-f...
Swafford: Wind ‘Contributing Factor’ in Hangar Collapse
The collapse injured two workers and will push back the completion date of the Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport’s under-construction hangar.
Wind may have played a factor in the collapse Wednesday of an under-construction hangar that led to the injuries of two construction workers.
Blake Swafford, director of the Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport, said crews with Superior Foundations and Steel Erection had begun erecting the hangar’s steel Monday. The collapse injured two workers with Superior Foundations; Swafford said the two originally were taken to Paulding WellStar Hospital, with one possibly later taken to WellStar Kennestone in Marietta.
“One was conscious and talking when he left the site, the other one, I don’t believe, was conscious,” Swafford said.
Neither Swafford nor officials with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, who first responded to the scene, were able to provide the names of the injured workers.
“[The crew] had started erecting the steel on Monday, so they had two and a half days worth of work in erecting the steel, had close to half the building up,” Swafford said. “[They] had some gusts of wind, and it unfortunately collapsed on them.
“Wind, obviously, is a contributing factor. I don’t know if it’s the only thing—[Occupational Safety and Health Administration] will do an investigation, probably the structural engineer that designed the building, as well as the company that provided the steel … we’ve called an independent investigator as well, so it will be studied and investigated to the best of our ability to figure out exactly what happened why it happened and hopefully not have an issue like that again.”
Swafford said after the collapse, he checked the weather conditions, which showed wind gusts of 17 mph.
“It could’ve easily been twice that earlier today,” he added. “We’re up at the top of a little mountain ridge here, and we do get a significant amount of wind gusts—it’s not unusual at all for us to have wind gusts in the 20-to-25-mph range. I would not have thought that that would exceed what the building could withstand. Buildings are designed to a maximum wind load once they’re completely erected and completely put together, so during the construction process they’re obviously more vulnerable. The company that provided the steel is I’m sure going to do an analysis to see what wind load it should have been able to accommodate at that stage in the construction, so maybe we’ll know at that point whether it was just wind or if there were other factors.”
Cpl. Ashley Henson with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office said deputies arrived at the airport after receiving a call about the collapse about 12:45 p.m. Deputies remained on the scene for several hours as officials awaited for OSHA officials and structural engineers to arrive.
Swafford said the collapse would delay completion of the hangar’s construction for an undetermined amount of time.
“This is the new hangar we’ve been building in partnership with our [fixed-based operator], the Paulding Jet Center,” he said. “[It’s a] 35,000-square-foot hangar, so it would accommodate much, much larger airplanes than the first set of hangars we built. It was scheduled to be completed in March—the project was already a little bit behind schedule because of some issues that we had with the foundation when the foundation was poured.
Feb 22, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.gazette.com/news/forcing-134031-road-detour.html
Road collapses, forcing closure of U.S. Highway 24
A temporary detour road collapsed Thursday morning, forcing the closure of U.S. Highway 24 between Falcon and Peyton. The road is expected to be closed at least until Friday.
The road's collapse was not related to Thursday morning's snowfall, according to El Paso County Engineer Andre Brackin, who consulted with Colorado Department of Transportation officials.
Eastbound travelers on Highway 24 are being directed to detour by going east on Judge Orr Road and then north on Peyton Highway. According to CDOT's website, Highway 24 is closed between milemarkers 322-327.
Highway 24 was closed at 7:50 a.m., according to CDOT's website.
"We had this detour plan already in place just in case it was needed for whatever reason," Brackin said.
The short section of two-lane detour road that collapsed was being used while the bridge halfway between Falcon and Peyton -- commonly known as the "Green Bridge" -- is being rebuilt over a tributary of Black Squirrel Creek.
Lawrence Construction is building the new bridge, Brackin said.
"The detour ride around where the bridge is being constructed is paved and it's less than a mile long," Brackin said. "My guess is the collapse had nothing to do with the snowstorm. When the snow is gone -- whether it has to be removed or melts -- is when the road will be repaired. The state is dealing with the problem. It's probably a 24-hour job to fix the detour road."
Feb 23, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120224/NEW...
Building wall collapses in Port Jervis
DAWN J. BENKO/For the Times Herald-Record
A wall collapse on a Front Street building in Port Jervis left an alleyway filled with bricks and metal Thursday. According to Senior Code Enforcement Officer Wayne Kidney, a leaky gutter caused the back wall to fall off 46-48 Front St. Kidney said after repeated freezing and thawing overnight, the weight of the metal fire escape attached to the back wall most likely collapsed it. Business owners discovered the collapse Thursday morning. Kidney said the H&R Block at 50-52 Front St. temporarily will be vacated pending a decision on the damaged building. Kidney said it was in foreclosure and had been vacant for more than a year. The building likely will be razed.
Feb 24, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/02/27/business-prec...
Engineers assess road collapse
Australia, David Low Way road collapse, 27th February 2012
10.25AM UPDATE: MAIN Roads engineers and council maintenance crews this morning made initial assessment of what will be required to re-open the busy David Low Way after a section of the road collapsed at about 6pm Sunday.
Swift flowing water pouring out of the national park just north of the Coolum Soccer Club grounds have eroded away stormwater pipes under the coastal road causing significant collapse of the southbound lane.
However erosion of supporting soil around the pipe extends further than that.
Roadtek engineers on the scene at 7.30am today said repair would be difficult until the swift flow of water ceased.
A decision will be taken later today on the schedule for repair work and whether there is any value in constructing a temporary diversion.
That short term fix may require significant engineering which could negate its value.
Council maintenance superintendent Paul Tarrant said water flowing under the road followed a water course that carried it back south and into Stumers Creek.
Feb 27, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Catholic Church Collapses, Kills Two
http://www.radiovop.com/index.php/national-news/8345-catholic-churc...
Kadoma, February 28, 2012 - Two women died last week here after the roof of a Roman Catholic Church building under construction collapsed due to heavy winds and rains that pounded the town.
The women identified as Faith Mlonyeni and Esnath Motsi, were attending a church gathering. They died from head injuries while 10 others are still in hospital, four of them critical.
It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse of the building and residents are calling for an investigation.
Domingo Mugwagwa a local resident said: "Church and council officials must be quizzed with other church members describing the collapse of the building as a 'scandal'.
Rosemary Kamutiga said the building had again collapsed in 2010 and queried why the plan had not been revisited.
Church officials and the town council officials who approve building constructions were not immediately available for comment.
2nd incident
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/02/2...
Labrador school closed by partial ceiling collapse
Deputy mayor of Charlottetown says new building needed to replacing aging facility in town
Posted: Feb 28, 2012 6:04 AM NT
Feb 28, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
At Least 4 People Killed in Building Collapse in Northern Syria
http://www.ubalert.com/a/84151
DAMASCUS -- State-run SANA news agency reported that at least four people were killed while seven others were reportedly missing on Monday following the collapse of a four-story building in Aleppo city. SANA said the bodies of the victims have been pulled out from the rubble of the toppled building located in Aleppo's Beideen neighborhood. Five people were rescued but seven others remain buried under the heaps of debris. Aleppo Governor Moufaq Khallouf attributed the collapse to the llegal construction of an additional story onto the three-story apartment building. Khallouf urged residents to evacuate immediately so restoration efforts can start in order to avoid repetition of such disaster.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-02/27/c_131434459.htm
Feb 28, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
Garden wall collapse shocks homeowner
http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/local-headlines/garden_wall_collaps...
The Leslie wall in the UK collapsed
Published on Wednesday 29 February 2012 10:44
A retired teacher is counting the cost of his garden wall mysteriously collapsing, reports KEVIN QUINN.
Mr Hood woke to find the garden wall of his home on Leslie High Street lying in the adjacent Back Braes, with no obvious reason for its collapse.
Mr Hood was still surprised at the demise of his back wall.
He said: “It happened on Thursday night. I don’t know how it happened.
“I had looked at the wall a few months ago and it didn’t look as if there was anything wrong with it.
“I’m getting a guy to come and look at it today. It’s the homeowner’s responsibility, unfortunately for me.
“It could be quite costly. It wont be pennies, that’s for sure, more likely thousands.”
Mr Hood tried to think of an explanation for this incident, pointing out similar problems with other properties close by.
He said: “Their tends to be a lot of water plains down the Back Braes. It was re-aligned in the nineties.
“If you walk along the Back Braes you can see quite a few walls patched up. A lot of patching up at the Douglas Road end.
“It’s probably just the age of it.
“As far as I know the council wont do anything about it. I don’t know who to approach about the water in the Back Braes.”
New Leslie Community Council chair John Wincott would like to have a meeting with Fife Council to get to the bottom of this problem.
He said: “I’m concerned that there seems to be more of this type of damage occurring throughout the village.
“I want to arrange a meeting with Fife Council about this.
“People have come to me complaining about damage done to buildings in Leslie by the quarry blasting, but I would be worried if somewhere so far away was damaged by the quarry, but it’s difficult to say.
“It doesn’t look like this has been caused by just subsidence. And I would be really surprised if it is a result of blasting.
“But I would definitely like to speak to the council about this.”
Feb 29, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/190387--p...
A construction collapse at 700 University Ave. closed the street at College for about an hour before reopening again. It's the building that houses Ontario Power Generation. CITYNEWS.
2/29/2012
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/190387--p...
Part of a building that houses the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) on University Avenue at College collapsed Wednesday morning. While the damage looked dramatic, an OPG spokesman says the incident doesn’t pose any danger to the building or the people inside.
Witness Pia Famiglietti was getting off the subway, headed to Mount Sinai Hospital, when it happened around 10:30 a.m.
“I just got off the subway … and when I was walking by it just started to crunch and come down a little bit. I called 911 — it was scary,” she said. “I thought the building was collapsing. I wasn’t sure what was going on.”
Some large pieces of drywall on an overhang at 700 University Ave. fell, prompting police to cordon off the area and temporarily close the southbound lanes of the busy street. The area has since reopened to traffic.
"A portion of the building, which is under construction, has collapsed. It’s described as a roof," Toronto Police Const. Wendy Drummond said.
Feb 29, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=495577&type=Metro
Construction site collapse tilts building, leaks gas
By Ni Yinbin | 2012-3-1
A construction site in suburban Songjiang District collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, causing underground gas pipes to leak and a nearby office building to tilt, officials confirmed yesterday.
The collapse also caused serious cracks on Laiyin Road.
The gas leak was repaired and the tilting building was stabilized, said a district spokesman surnamed Mei.
The collapse was blamed on digging work inside the construction area, the government said. The accident happened about 4:30pm at the construction site near 1881 Laiyin Road, Qixinke Industry Park.
"There was a cracking sound since morning, and I didn't realize what was going on until a series of cracking steel bars," said a witness surnamed Wang, who works on the third floor of a building near the scene.
Wang then looked out the window and saw the collapse. Wang's building was evacuated for safety concerns. Serious cracks were soon found on the walls of Wang's building, which later tilted to the north. A separate security room for the building sank by more than 1 meter.
A part of Laiyin Road about 50 meters long, 5 meters wide and 2 meters deep collapsed, which caused the leak of the natural gas pipe below, officials said.
A strong smell of gas permeated the area. Traffic police cordoned the area and the emergency crew of the city's gas company was called in. The emergency was lifted about 5pm, Mei said.
"The staff closed the leaking gas pipe immediately," Mei said. "As most of the pipes were spare ones, the accident didn't affect the gas supply in the area."
Feb 29, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.punchng.com/news/two-killed-in-anambra-building-collapse/
Two killed in Anambra building collapse
Two bodies were pulled out of the debris of a building which collapsed in Awka, the Anambra State capital, on Thursday.
Five other people were brought out alive with varying degrees of injuries from the rubble of the two-storey building which was under construction at the time of its collapse.
The victims were mainly workers, who were working on the decking of the second floor when the building collapsed, trapping no fewer than 12 of them.
The timely arrival of men and equipment of the Consolidated Construction Company Limited, who were later joined by officials of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Boys Brigade and the men of the state Fire Service aided the rescue operation.
A survivor, Mr. Austin Amoah, who had serious leg injuries, said 15 workers were on site before the collapse. Another survivor, Mr. Sunday Oko, also recalled his miraculous survival.
Another survivor identified as Solomon from Edo State was brought out alive with minor injuries.
The director of the state emergency management agency, Dr. Justin Ijezie, confirmed the incident.
He said, “I was just coming from my office in CCC to enter my car and I heard a huge sound; it was a bang. We were the first set of people that came for rescue and there was hardly nothing we could do so we had to seek help from our management.
“The few people that we were able to rescue so far were through the assistance of the management of our company, CCC, and the FRSC.”
The Police Public Relations officer in the state, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, said he wept at the scene of the incident. “This is because I discovered that the materials being used are substandard. Everything about the building is substandard.
The PPRO said, “It is high time government began to look into the building designs and capacity of projects. The materials are substandard and must have led to the collapse of the building.” continued:
Mar 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://austrianindependent.com/news/General_News/2012-03-02/10462/W...
02. 03. 12. - 16:20
Wine cellars disappear into the deep
Two historic wine pressing houses disappeared into the ground during the night yesterday (Thurs/Fri) in Austria. A local resident noticed the partly collapsed wineries in the early hours of this morning (Friday). The ground beneath the old buildings had been weakened as a result of a burst water pipe.
The street of wine cellars in Groß Kadholz, one of the oldest parts of the Pulkautal region in Austria, was completely closed off this morning for fears of further collapse. Several metres of the local road disappeared as well as the two houses. The historical buildings contained the oldest wine presses in the area but are now in a state of disrepair.
General wear and tear of the old buildings, as well as a water pipe damaged by frost, are being held responsible for the incident. The main water pipe running through the street, which had been damaged by cold weather, had been cut off completely on Wednesday. It was too late however and the large amounts of water escaping from the broken pipe flowed into the cellars.
The soaked walls eventually gave way in the middle of the night on Thursday causing the floors to fall into the sodden ground, taking much of the contents of the upstairs with them. The extent and cost of the damage is not yet known and experts are currently working to establish the exact cause of the collapse.
Mar 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/report-building-collapse-in-harlem-...
Trench Collapse In Harlem
Man Trapped Underground Rescued
Published : Friday, 02 Mar 2012, 11:36 AM EST
MYFOXNY.COM - Fire Department and emergency personnel are on the scene of a collapse a E. 122nd St. and Park Ave. in East Harlem.
A man was safely rescued after being trapped underground, according to FOX 5 News reporter Tai Hernandez.
Firefighters used a vacuum to remove dirt and debris from the trench where had was reportedly buried up to his shoulders.
It is not clear if a building- or a trench between two buildings- collapsed, trapping the man.
A photo on Twitter of the scene showed at least a dozen emergency personnel huddled around what appeared to be the side of a building.
The man was loaded onto an ambulance and whisked away at about 12:20 p.m., added Tai Hernandez.
E. 122nd Street was closed between Park Ave. and Lexington Ave.
Read more: http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/report-building-collapse-in-harlem-...
Mar 2, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/36960-3-die-as-building-co...
3 die as building collapses in Awka
Friday, 02 March 2012
THREE persons were feared killed while some were trapped when a two-storey building collapsed at Kwata junction, Awka, on the Onitsha-Enugu expressway.
The incident happened the day the body of the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu was being received at Ekwueme Square, Awka.
Rescue operators from the state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the state police command, Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) and National Security and Defence Corps quickly mobilised and moved cranes to rescue the victims.
One Friday Awo, who escaped unscathed, said out of the 15 persons in the building, seven were lucky to have escaped, adding that he would have been among the victims if he and four others had not gone out to eat.
He said though the first contractor handling construction works on the building had stopped work, another contractor started on Monday, while he blamed the shoddy job by the first contactor for the collapse.
Chief Lawrence Chinwuba, Governor Peter Obi’s Special Adviser on Housing and Urban Development, described the incident as unfortunate.
He said the incident should not have happened the day the late Ojukwu was being honoured.
According to him, “we were at Alex Ekwueme square when I was called and when I came, I saw the legs of some people that were trapped.
He noted that the incident could be as a result of sub standard materials.
As of the time of filing the roport, Chinwuba said it was difficult to ascertain the number of causalties.
Those injured were taken to the general hospital Amaku, Awka by a combined team of FRSC and SEMA officials.
An eyewitness, Me Christian Ezenwafor (a structural engineer) said the incident happened as a result of the additional 16mm rod imposed on a lighter 12mm one which was used at the commencement of the building construction.
Mar 4, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/world/206206-killed-in-republic-o...
An unusual circumstance as a munitions depot explodes collapsing buildings.
206 killed in Republic of Congo arms depot blasts
Posted: 3:56 a.m. Sunday, March 4, 2012
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo — Houses and buildings collapsed in the Congolese capital Sunday, entombing inhabitants after an arms depot exploded, killing at least 206 people, officials said, including dozens attending Mass in a church that buckled under the force of the blast.
The shock waves shattered windows in a three-mile (five-kilometer) radius surrounding the arms depot, including across the river that separates Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, from Kinshasa, the capital of the larger Central African nation of Congo.
"It's like a tsunami passed through here," said Christine Ibata, a student. "The quarter has practically collapsed, with roofs of houses blown off."
A morgue in Brazzaville took in 136 bodies Sunday afternoon, as more continued to arrive. A local hospital reported at least 237 patients wounded in the blasts. President Denis Sassou-Nguesso toured two hospitals and a morgue as dozens of injured people were being brought in including a 4-year-old who had lost his leg. The president was visibly moved, but made no public comments.
It's unclear what started the fire at the weapons depot, but an official at the president's office said the depot is used to store war-grade weapons including mortars. The first blast went off at around 8 a.m., and several smaller blasts were heard throughout the morning. Another major explosion went off at around 1 p.m.
Defense Minister Charles Zacharie Boawo appeared on national television to urge calm in Brazzaville and in the neighboring capital, Kinshasa.
"The explosions that you have heard don't mean there is a war or a coup d'etat," he said. "Nor does it mean there was a mutiny. It is an incident caused by a fire at the munitions depot."
Didier Boutsindi, an official in the president's office, said the explosion woke him "with the force of an earthquake." Doors in his house, which is located several miles away from the arms depot, were thrown open and several windows cracked. He began making calls, and when he realized the origin of the blast, his first thought was his uncle, whose home is located just next to the depot.
"The house fell completely," Boutsindi said. "He was sleeping. His wife was at church. His children — small children — were playing outside," he said. "The neighbors dug out the body and brought him to the morgue."
The body was among the countless others that were being brought in by car, on stretchers, and carried by shell-shocked residents. The death toll is likely to rise, Boutsindi said, as many more people remained trapped inside crushed structures, including the faithful of the St. Louis Church, who were attending Mass when the blasts began.
The munitions depot is near the president's private residence, but he was at his official residence in another part of town and was not hurt. The explosions caused buildings to shake as far away as Kinshasa, separated from Brazzaville by the 3-mile wide Congo River. An enormous plume of smoke could be seen snaking across the sky. Story continues:
Mar 4, 2012
bill
5-storey building caves in
A five-storey building under construction at Vinayaka Layout near Electronic City caved in dramatically on Tuesday, apparently due to a weak foundation and poor quality of materials used in the construction. No casualty or injuries were reported.
It would have easily been a man-made disaster had the civil defence volunteers not rushed to the spot immediately and evacuated two adjacent buildings as a precaution.
The drama began unfolding around 6 am. Neighbours told Deccan Herald that they first heard a loud sound. It took a while for them to figure out that the building had caved in without actually collapsing. The structure stood menacingly like a leaning tower, precariously close to a collapse.
With tension mounting, the local police and a team of 10 civil defence volunteers took charge of the situation by 9 am. Power supply was cut off and the volunteers evacuated people from the adjoining buildings. Gas cylinders and other inflammable material were also removed. Shwetha, the owner of an adjacent five-storey building said she was worried that her property would be damaged in the process of demolition. She said that many occupants of her building had gone out to work, and some had taken shelter with their friends or relatives.
The Madivala police, who looked for the building’s owner, Vijaykumar, of Vellore, Tamil Nadu, and a resident of V V Puram, Bangalore, found him untraceable. His mobile phone was switched off. A case was registered against him.
The Public Works Department engineers who visited the spot recommended demolition of the building. They also found that the foundation was shallow and was constructed on loose soil.
Neighbours claimed that the construction was a rush job, with all the five floors raised in barely four months, leaving no time for curing.
M K Ayyappa, Deputy Commissioner, Bangalore, visited the spot by evening. He relegated the demolition work to a private contractor, Shree Chetana Services, the expenses of which would be borne by the owner.
The firm has started the demolition work, using a Fokline breaker. Krishna Murthy, the contractor, said first he would reduce the weight on the other side of the building at the third floor to stabilise the building before going for a demolition exercise from the top floor. He added that the exercise would take around three days to complete.
The building comes under the Shanthipura grampanchayat. Surprisingly, the five-storeyed structure clearly violates the panchayat rules which permit construction of buildings up to two floors. Police sources said the building had no plan approval by any planning authority
Mar 14, 2012
Howard
Church Collapses in Freeport, IL (March 14)
The Lavon Harkins Ministries International “Revival Center” Church, 109 S. Sherman St. in Freeport, collapsed this morning.
“A neighborhood woman heard a loud noise and looked out to see that it had fallen,” said Captain Mark Morson of the Freeport Fire Department. “It had been boarded up since last fall.”
Firefighters said they believe the church had been exposed to flooding in the past and noted that the roof had been patched in areas.
“Our guess is that the building has had a lot of time and neglect,” said firefighter Scott Stykel. “The best part of it is that no one was hurt.”
ComEd trucks are on the scene to cut electricity to the building with Nicor expected to arrive to stop any gas flow. City of Freeport workers also are working to demolish any unstable portions of the building to prevent further collapse.
Mar 15, 2012
Howard
Buildings Collapse in Three Lebanon Cities
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Tragedy was narrowly averted in the northern city of Tripoli over the weekend when the roof of a building housing 40 people collapsed. Two other buildings collapsed elsewhere in the country (Tyre and Metn), but no injuries were reported.The four-story building, located in Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood of Tripoli, was inhabited by members of one extended family. Residents rushed outside after sensing that the roof was about to fall Saturday.
“We felt ... the building shaking, so we evacuated it immediately,” said Samir Hijazi, the eldest member of the family. Hijazi said that he sent the municipality a request to renovate his apartment six months ago, but received no permit.
Fadi Soda, another resident, complained that Tripoli’s municipality denied him a permit to repair his apartment. “We worked on repairing it by ourselves but police stopped us.”
“We appeal to Prime Minister [Najib Mikati], ministers and officials of this city to look into our case and help us given the tragedy we are experiencing,” he added.
“We have no shelter now.”
Tripoli’s Mayor Nader Ghazal examined the scene early Saturday morning and followed up on efforts by municipality officials to clear the rubble.
“Since 2010, the municipality has been sending letters to the Council of Development and Reconstruction and the Transport and Public Works Ministry, explaining that tragedy threatens the city, especially the old city,” Ghazal said.
“Dozens of buildings are at risk of collapse and are crowded with people who are poor and cannot afford to move to another place,” he added.
Ghazal said that the municipality had asked officials to provide help before it’s too late, lamenting that they had received little response.
“Today, we are witnessing only one episode of the series ... and we really hope and urge the authorities to swiftly assume their responsibilities because people and the country can’t endure this any longer,” he said.
Ghazal said that the municipality had received more than 200 complaints about buildings at risk of collapse. “But we are not capable of renovating or doing repair works,” he said.
Another near disaster took place in the city of Tyre when Samir Sabrawi and his nine-member family fled their home in the old city when parts of it began to crumble while they were asleep. The city’s municipality ordered officials to examine the site.
Also Saturday, mudslides caused the collapse of the wall of a church in the Metn village of Atshaneh, near Khinshara. Two cars were damaged.
Mar 20, 2012
Howard
Another Building Collapse in Beirut
No injuries have been reported.
Members of the Lebanese Army, who had been stationed some 200 meters from the building at the time of the collapse, were covered in thick coats of dust caused by the collapse.
On March 9, seven people were injured when a building collapsed in the vicinity of Tabarja Beach complex.
Mar 21, 2012
Howard
1 Killed, 12 Injured as Building Collapses in Pakistan
One woman was killed and 12 others including 6 children were injured when a three-storey building collapsed in Pakistan's central city of Multan on Friday night, said rescue workers and hospital sources.
A local photo journalist in Multan told Xinhua on the phone that hospital sources in the city told him that one woman injured in the incident later died at the hospital.
All the 12 others trapped in the collapsed building have been rescued and shifted to local hospital, the source in Multan told Xinhua by quoting rescue workers.
Earlier reports by some local media said that 16 people were trapped under the debris after the building collapsed.
Mar 23, 2012
Howard
Building Implodes In Philadelphia
"An abandoned Philadelphia building collapsed early Monday morning, sending debris tumbling into the street at a busy intersection.
The collapse happened in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia, at the corner of 27th and West York Streets.
"I just heard a big bang," said Melissa Aguilar, who heard from inside her 27th Street home early Monday morning as she and her two daughters startled from their sleep.
Rubble from the two-story building tumbled into the street, burying the sidewalk and half the intersection."
Mar 27, 2012
Howard
Bank Collapses in Minneapolis, Minnesota (April 14)
Randy Gustafson, Ramsey County’s public information officer, said no one was hurt during the collapse. Three bank employees and one customer were in the building at the time of the incident, but all were able to get out of the building safely.
Ramsey County Sheriff Deputies established a safety perimeter around the accident site, and will maintain it until the area is deemed safe and secure.
The building is a free-standing structure at 1160 West County Road E in Arden Hills.
At this time, authorities do not know what caused the canopy to collapse. There will be an investigation into incident.
Apr 15, 2012
Howard
Landslide Kills 6 in SW China's Chongqing (April 14)
The debris in a mountain collapse accident in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Six people were killed and another two wounded in the accident. A section of a mountain near the Egongyan Bridge collapsed at 1 a.m. Saturday, crushing nearby work sheds and killing six people inside, according to local authorities. The victims were employees of a construction company and a lighting company.
Six people were killed and another two wounded in a mountain collapse Saturday morning in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, local authorities said.
A section of a mountain near the Egongyan Bridge collapsed at 1 a.m. Saturday, crushing nearby work sheds and killing six people inside, said an official with the city government.
The victims were employees of a construction company and a lighting company.
The injured only suffered minor wounds, said the official.
Authorities are probing the cause of the tragedy.
Apr 15, 2012
Howard
3 -Storey Building Collapses in Jalandhar, India - April 15
Death Toll 6, Many Still Trapped
Many people are still said to be trapped under the debris of a factory building that collapsed in Jalandhar on Sunday. The death toll meanwhile has gone up to six.
The three-storey building, housing a blanket factory, collapsed in the Focal Point area of the city around midnight on Sunday. 60 people have been rescued from the accident site so far. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and also from the Army are assisting local administration in rescue operations. Intermittent rain is, however, hampering their efforts.
The exact cause of the mishap is yet to be ascertained. The owner of the factory has been arrested. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been against her.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. The state government has also announced a compensation of Rs two lakh each for the kin of the deceased, Rs 65,000 each for those seriously injured and Rs 45,000 each for those who have sustained minor injuries.
Apr 18, 2012
bill
Building Collapse in France Seriously Harms 2 Bulgarians
June 16, 2012
Two Bulgarian men have been suddenly crushed by a concrete block, falling from a Paris building. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Two Bulgarian tourists have sustained life-threatening injuries in a partial buildingcollapse in the French capital Paris.
The incident was reported by the French "Le Parisien."
According to the publications, a concrete block became detached Friday evening from an apartment building in the Boulogne-Billancourt suburb of Paris, injuring gravely two Bulgarian men, a father, 77, and son, 26.
The concrete block, weighting about one metric ton, fell on them at 11:15 pm on the sidewalk of "Général-Leclerc" avenue, just meters away from the Marcel-Sembat metro station.
The two are in critical condition. The father was listed at the Georges-Pompidou hospital, while the son, who suffered multiple fractions, is at the Pitié-Salpétrière one.
Jun 17, 2012
bill
Building collapse kills three in Kenya
NAIROBI, June 10 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and nine others went missing after a four-story building collapsed in Kenya's capital city on Saturday night.
Rescue continued into Sunday as nine people were reported missing, said the Red Cross Society.
"Another body was retrieved early in the morning, bringing the total confirmed death toll to three and 10 others have been taken to hospital," spokesperson of the Red Cross Society Nelly Muluka told Xinhua on Sunday.
Jun 17, 2012
bill
Building Collapse Kills Two in Central China
Two people were killed and three others injured after a heavy rainstorm caused the collapse of a residential home in central China's Hunan province. Five family members were asleep when their three story home caved in. The first victim was rescued and sent to the hospital half an hour after the collapse, while the next one, a middle aged woman, was pulled to safety nearly three hours later. The third victim a 14 year old girl was found trapped between two concrete slabs, but rescued four hours after the collapse. The remaining two were discovered shortly afterwards, but died after arriving at the hospital from severe injuries. The three survivors are recovering in a stable condition.
video
Jun 17, 2012
bill
13 buried in construction site collapse in E China
HANGZHOU - Thirteen people were buried after a building under construction collapsed in EastChina's Zhejiang province on Saturday morning, according to an announcement by localauthorities.
The accident happened at 10:24 am at a construction site in the Jiaxing Port and DevelopmentZone in the city of Jiaxing, said the local fire department.
Twelve of the 13 people have been saved from the debris and rushed to a local hospital.
As of 1 pm, search and rescue work for the last victim was continuing
Jun 17, 2012
bill
13 hurt in building collapse in Mysore, India
MYSORE: Thirteen persons were injured when an under-construction building collapsed inside a factory on KRS Road on Saturday. Police said the incident occurred around 12.15pm. The injured workers, who hail from Raichur, were taken to a private hospital.
Jun 18, 2012
Howard
State of Emergency Declared As Mall Roof Collapses in Northern Ontario (June 23) -
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/story/2012/06/23/elliot-lake-...
The roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., collapsed Saturday afternoon, prompting Mayor Rick Hamilton to declare a state of emergency.
East Algoma OPP said they received the call at 2:19 p.m. ET on Saturday. The incident occurred at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, which is about 150 kilometres west of Sudbury.
Police said they don't have any information yet about any injuries or missing people. They asked the public to keep away from the area.
The part of the roof that caved in reportedly served as a parking area for customers and mall staff.
Joe Drazil, a Zellers employee at the mall, said cars appeared to have fallen through a gaping hole near the escalators.
"You can see the roof with the cars hanging inside," he said.
Emergency officials turned off the mall's power due to a gas leak caused by the collapse.
Mayor Rick Hamilton has declared a state of emergency.
Jun 24, 2012
Howard
Historic Building Unexpectedly Collapses In South Carolina (June 26) -
http://www.wltx.com/news/article/192041/2/Historic-Orangeburg-Build...
http://thetandd.com/news/roof-collapses-walls-come-tumbling-down/ar...
Plans to renovate an Orangeburg building nearing its 100th birthday came to an end Tuesday morning when its roof collapsed, sending bricks onto a truck parked below.
Building owner Mike Johnson said it was a shock to him.
As president of Cox Industries, Johnson said he was considering placing Cox’s headquarters in the building, as well as creating philanthropic and retail space inside.
“I was very excited for all parties that would have been positively impacted by this project,” Johnson said. “I had such high hopes for what we were about to embark on both for those involved in the project and for Orangeburg.”
Jun 28, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.allmediany.com/news/5002-brownstone-wall-collapses-in-br...
Brooklyn brownstone wall collapses
An exterior wall of a well-kept Brooklyn brownstone dating back to the 1860s crashed down to the sreet early Monday, but no one was injured.
“We heard this huge noise,” said tenant Marion Floc’h Barral, who was asleep on the top floor of 241 Carroll St. near Smith Street when the wall collapsed at 1:30 a.m., according to the New York Post.
“I was seeing the skies through the walls,” said Barral, who lives with her husband and three children in the three-family building.
Assistant Fire Chief James Leonard said the building’s age was the likely cause.
“The mortar between the brick just gets old and starts to fall apart,” he said.
The other two families who live in the building were not at home when the collapse happened.
The Buildings Department has ordered that the structure be demolished. The owners, Howard and Sisi Schneider, who live in the building, bought the house in July 2004 for $1.5 million and listed it as recently as 2008 for $3.5 million.
Jul 8, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/720801.shtml
Global Times | 2012-7-13 0:20:06
Three workers died and 10 were injured when a building collapsed Wednesday in Chaoyang district.
Five people were buried under debris after a two-storey auditorium at a steel foundry in Jinzhan village collapsed around 12:48 pm. Rescuers pulled two people out alive, but three died before rescuers could reach them, Chaoyang district government confirmed.
The auditorium, built in 1978, was undergoing maintenance work at the time.
The rescue took nearly 12 hours, and did not finish until 1:06 am Thursday, according to Beijing Firefighting Bureau, the Legal Mirror reported.
Ten injured workers were sent to Huaxin Hospital in Chaoyang district. Four are still hospitalized, suffering from head or internal injuries, the report said.
A media officer from the Chaoyang Administration of Work Safety said the cause of the collapse is under investigation.
"We've sent staff to the site to investigate, but we don't have a conclusion yet," she said.
The Global Times found that the site was guarded by several security guards who refused the reporter's request to enter. Debris from the collapse could be seen from the gate.
Scores of firemen and 11 fire trucks attended the incident, according to a spokesman from Chaoyang district government.
Several witnesses said they heard an extremely loud noise when the accident occurred.
"The shelves in my shop shook when it happened. I thought it might be an earthquake, but when I went out to see what happened, I was told a building collapsed with several people buried inside," said a shop owner, whose business is only 20 meters from the scene.
Villagers soon started to search and sift through the debris for the missing workers. Firefighters arrived shortly after, witnesses said.
"Many workers who'd been on a break took shovels and other tools to save the buried people," the shop owner said.
Another man, who was working at a nearby building site, claimed at least 20 people were buried by the collapse.
"Over 10 people had climbed out from the ruins when I arrived. Some of them sustained light injuries," he said.
Jul 12, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Former-bank-building-in-Chout...
Former bank building in Chouteau collapses
Officials in Chouteau are trying to find out what caused a more than 100-year-old building to collapse late Wednesday night.
Crews got to the scene of the old Chouteau bank around 11:00pm Wednesday and found the entire building had fallen down. Police say it looks as if the roof caved in and brought the rest of the structure down with it. Officials say it was built around 1906.
Police say they are working to get surveillance footage from a nearby building to see exactly when and how the collapse happened.
Jul 12, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/13811038-418/far-south-side-buil...
Far South Side building collapses, one person rescued
July 16, 2012 11:26AM
One person was rescued and was said to be in good condition after a building he was working in collapsed Monday morning in the Far South Side West Pullman neighborhood.
Firefighters were called to the scene of a building collapse about 10:40 a.m. At 353 E. Kensington, and a still and box alarm was called, according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
A man was working on the second floor of the two-story masonry and frame building when the "walls kicked out the roof collapsed," Langford said.
He was unable to get out on his own and was rescued by firefighters and was being take to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Paramedics said he was in "very good shape," Langford said.
The building, which was commercial on the first floor and residential on the second, was undergoing rehabilitation at the time of the collapse, he said.
No other injuries were reported.
Jul 16, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/07/16/homes-evacuated-after-partia...
Homes Evacuated After Partial Building Collapse In Bay Ridge
July 16, 2012 12:30 PM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A vacant building in Bay Ridge partially collapsed early Monday morning, forcing the evacuation of two adjacent buildings.
The two-story structure at 552 Ovington Avenue came down around 3:10 a.m., 1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck reported.
“I thought I heard thunder, but it wasn’t thunder, something was like falling,” one neighbor said. “A fireman said, ‘You have to get out, we’re going to evacuate the building.’”
No injuries were reported.
About 15 people from neighboring homes were evacuated.
Jul 16, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/article/5-killed-2-injured-church-buil...
5 killed, 2 injured as church building collapses in Ibadan
Tragedy struck in Sagbe Aba-Alfa Ojoo of Ibadan, Oyo State on Wednesday as the new Covenant Church under construction collapsed, killing five people and injuring two. Among those that died were two women.
Daily Sun gathered, that about seven people were working at the site when the church collapsedat about 8pm. The victims were said to be waiting for their foreman to pay them for the day, when the rain started.
It was during the rain that the building caved in, killing five. Four of the victims were said to have died on the spot while one was evacuated early yesterday morning. Two other victims of the collapsed church were said to have been trapped by iron rods. But they were rescued by sympathizers.
They were later rushed to Folawiyo Hospital, Moniya where they were being treated. Those outside the church at the time of the collapse escaped with bruises. The early arrival of the men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Oyo State Fire Service and men of the Nigeria Police Force as well as sympathizers combined to rescue those trapped in the debris of the collapsed building.
Jul 17, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/society/24957/illigal-goldmine-coll...
VietNamNet Bridge – While ten people were illegally seeking gold, the mine collapsed, burying all of them. The incident occurred in Tuong Duong district of the central province of Nghe An on July 17.
Local authorities said that in the morning of July 17, a group of ten local residents sifted for gold in a mine on the bank of a river in Nga My commune. The mine had collapsed in the afternoon of the day, burying all of them.
When local people discovered the accident, they could only rescue seven people, who were heavily injured. They were brought to the Tuong Duong district hospital.
Three others died since they were buried too deep. The dead victims include three men of 40, 22, and 18 years old from Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province.
Local police said that the mine had collapsed because it was a vault. The local government also said that this is an illegal mining case.
In May 2011, an illegal gold mine collapsed, killing five people, also in Tuong Duong district.
Jul 19, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-07/20/content_15601637.htm
2 dead, 7 injured in building collapse in E China
Updated: 2012-07-20 06:50
(Xinhua)
HANGZHOU - Two people were killed and seven others were injured after a three-storey building collapsed at a construction site of a company in East China's Zhejiang province, local authorities said Friday.
Local authorities said earlier the accident occurred at around 8 pm Thursday in Changxing county. Their latest update on the accident revealed that quite a few workers were pouring concrete for the top of the building when the collapse happened.
An investigation is under way into the accident. Those who were injured are not in critical conditions, local authorities said.
Jul 20, 2012
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.wespeaknews.com/india/woman-son-die-in-lucknow-building-...
Woman, son die in Lucknow building collapse
Lucknow, July 24 (IANS) A 54-year-old woman and her son were killed in a building collapse following heavy downpour in the Uttar Pradesh capital, officials said Tuesday.
Rashmi Bala Srivastava and her 24-year-old son Nikhil were trapped for over four hours under the debris of a double-storey house in the Baba Ki Baghhiya area on the Faizabad Road here after it caved in late Monday.
A rescue operation was launched soon after by a team of police and fire department officials.
The mother-son duo was pulled out from the debris with the help of gas cutters and rushed to hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Bala and seven other families staying in the old and dilapidated building were fighting a legal battle with the landlord for not carrying out maintenance or repair works in the house for a long time, police said.
The woman, a state government employee, was staying along with her son on the ground floor of the building.
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) officials said that as many as 100 building in the state capital have been identified as “dangerously weak.”
Just before the onset of monsoon this year, residents living in weak structures were served eviction notice by the civic body, but like on many earier occasions they chose to ignore it, an LMC official said.
Jul 24, 2012