A partial building collapse spewed tonnes of rubble and timber on to a busy New York City sidewalk on Thursday, injuring at least four people and triggering an urgent search-and-rescue mission.
The building was under demolition and surrounded by scaffolding when the collapse occurred shortly before 9.30am local time on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Fire department spokesperson Charles Markey said at least four people, including an infant, were taken to hospital for treatment.
Although there were no reports of anyone left trapped in the debris, a large number of firefighters and police, working with sniffer dogs, combed through the rubble for any signs of life.
”There’s always a possibility that people might be trapped, so it’s a search-and-rescue mission for now,” Markey said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse.
”I had just walked under the scaffolding and I heard it start to rumble … and then just watched the whole thing collapse,” eyewitness Jeff Rosenthal told local television.
Rosenthal said he and other pedestrians helped pull out a woman and her baby from the rubble before emergency workers appeared on the scene. — Sapa-AFP