Buildings In Historic Center Of Rio de Janeiro Collapse
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 11:15 pm
Buildings In Historic Center Of Rio de Janeiro Collapse
A multi-storey building has collapsed in the centre of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, leaving debris strewn over a wide area and prompting rescue crews to search through the rubble, but with no clear indication available on the casualty toll or cause. Officials say up to 11 people are believed to be inside the buildings and five people have been rescued.
The city’s mayor said late Wednesday that although the number of victims in unknown, there many be at least five people injured and an unknown number trapped in the rubble. A loud explosion preceded the collapse, which left the surrounding area covered in debris and dust, witnesses said.
Fire officials said at least four people were injured, according to a post on the city government’s Twitter account. The area surrounding the buildings is now covered in rubble, with several cars partially covered by debris. elevision footage showed at least two people on the roof of that building, apparently awaiting help from firefighters.
There was a strong smell of natural gas in the area, but Rio’s mayor said there were doubts that a gas leak caused the accident. City authorities are assessing the risk of collapse of a damaged adjoining building, local newswires reported, without giving the source of the information.
Rescue crews pulled four people alive from the debris, with no dead bodies found by midnight, Eduardo Paes, Rio de Janeiro’s mayor, announced at the site. One witness, who identified himself as Gilbert, told Reuters news agency: “It was like an earthquake. First some pieces of the buildings started to fall down. People started to run. And then it all fell down at once.”
Hours after the collapse, rescue crews were still picking through the rubble. There was a strong smell of natural gas in the area, but Paes said that it was unlikely that a gas leak had caused the collapse. The incident comes a little over three months after a suspected gas explosion at a restaurant in the city left three people dead.
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