A woman has been rescued hours after a building being demolished in Philadelphia collapsed onto a Salvation Army thrift store next door. The 61-year-old woman, who’s in critical condition, is the 14th person injured.
Philadelphia firefighters and police responded about 10:43 a.m. Wednesday and arrived at a building collapse scene
Initially breaking news reports were that twelve people were transported to hospitals — all in good condition — with dangerous search and rescue operations underway. At 12:35 PM ET Wednesday the scene was an active search and rescue scene.
Rescue workers used buckets and bare hands to move bricks and debris to free a 61-year-old woman late Wednesday night — about 12 hours after a four-story building undergoing demolition collapsed . The rescue of Myra Plekam of Kensington, Pa just after authorities announced the death toll had risen to six. Plekam was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She was listed in critical condition.
The external wall of the building undergoing demolition fell outward onto a two-story Salvation Army thrift store, where during initial response an unknown number of customers and employees were inside. Most of the victims injured were inside the Salvation Army thrift store.
Philadelphia’s mayor Michael Nutter (D) says the collapse of a downtown building that was being demolished has killed six people. The four-story building collapsed Wednesday morning.
Breaking news report of Philadelphia building collapse.
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