This past Saturday, Oct. 12, there was construction in process at the Hard Rock Hotel when it unexpectedly began collapsing down, causing for at least 30 people to be injured, while two remain missing. At this point, it has been reported that about 30 people have been affected by this incident, all of which have been hospitalized, while there have been two reported deaths at this point. One of the injured individuals has gone through a successful surgery and is on his way home with family back to New Orleans. As reported by CNN, Mayor LaToya Cantrell has expressed that they are “in the best of spirits that they can be in.” However, there have been reports of a rescue operation, as finding the missing people is a top priority.
To safely rescue the missing people, several engineers have been brought into the site to provide knowledge on this structure, along with how to maneuver around the construction. It was reported around 9 a.m. Saturday that the building looked unbalanced, as well as how the top six floors instantly collapsed, causing debris to fall onto the streets and road block-offs from the area and its surroundings.
Courtesy: Nola
The New Orleans Fire Department Chief Tim McConnell has made several statements in regard to the situation at hand, as well as the precautions that are being taken to ensure safety. He has made confirmations of a current building sweep made by a rescue team to make sure that any other victims who could have been trapped or in need were able to be saved. He has also stated that patience is needed, as finding the missing bodies, trying to clean up the site and make it stabilized requires time.
Moreover, McConnell has also expressed concerns that this is still a very dangerous situation and has stated, “the crane is still in place but it is unsupported and very dangerous. We are in the process of evacuating the buildings in the perimeter.” All of these factors have been taken into consideration when blocking out roads near the surrounding area. Also, mandatory evacuations have been placed to provide a safe recovery from this incident.
Courtesy: Twitter (@nolaready)
Latonya Norton, a spokeswoman for Mayor Cantrell, has expressed how the frame of the building is highly unsupported and is very dangerous to be around the area claiming “residents are strongly encouraged to avoid the area until further notice.” The development was set to open in the Spring in hopes of having 350 rooms and condominiums, with over 100 workers at the site during its construction.
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