A person was killed in the Bronx Tuesday after becoming buried when the third floor of a building that was under construction partially collapsed.
Hundreds of firefighters rushed to the scene at East 208th Street near Steuben Avenue in Norwood just before noon. Several FDNY members were seen pulling what appeared to be concrete blocks from the area where the worker was trapped. Despite their rescue efforts, the person was not able to be saved.
“The trapped individual has been recovered and has succumbed to fatal injuries,” an FDNY spokesperson said on Twitter around 1 p.m.
The worker’s identity was not released as of deadline Tuesday.
Five others were injured before escaping the collapse, officials said. Two of the injuries were considered serious.
Rescuers who responded to the collapse had to deal with a treacherous scene. Firefighters put up ladders to access the second floor of the building.
“There was a lot of rubble and broken concrete blocks, a lot of building material that covered the area and we had to dig through it to find the missing worker,” said FDNY Chief of Special Operations John Esposito. “We had serious concerns for our members on scene. We were concerned about the second floor collapsing into the first floor during our operation. We were able to build shores and put struts in there to support that load to make it safe for the rescue efforts.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the incident on Twitter, saying, “Tragically, one worker lost their life and 5 others have been injured. Please keep the area clear as @FDNY is finishing it’s operation.”
The Department of Buildings will conduct a full investigation, the mayor said.
