A five-story building collapsed in Washington DC on Thursday, leaving several people injured, including a man who remained trapped under mounds of rubble for more than an hour, authorities said.
The structure, which was under construction, came down at around 3:30 p.m. as a severe thunderstorm rolled through the area.
Four construction workers were immediately pulled from the wreckage, and were all brought to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, fire officials said.
Rescue crews and firefighters continued to work, using saws and manual labor to make their way through the large pile of plywood boards and other materials.
After about 1 hour and 30 minutes, rescuers were able to free a fifth worker who had been cornered under three floors of debris, officials said.
Emergency crews respond after the building under construction collapsed in Washington. Carolyn Kaster/AP
A thunderstorm came through the area and the building came down around 3:30 p.m. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The official cause of the collapse has not been determined. @dcfireemsA K-9 was able to sniff out the spot where the man was trapped, helping firefighters get to him, WRC-TV reported.
The man was alert and speaking with rescuers during the operation, and could be heard saying “Ow, ow” as firefighters loaded him onto a stretcher and into an ambulance, the outlet said.
He suffered serious injuries but was expected to recover. As soon as he was freed, the man asked for water and for someone to call his mother, the report said.
An hour and a half after into searching the site, the rescue team recovered a fifth construction worker. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A K-9 helped the firefighters find the trapped man. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images“We’ve seen these before where the people didn’t [survive] so he was definitely blessed today,” Fire Chief John Donnelly said.
Two homes to the left of the collapsed building were evacuated.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation.
