This archive report was first published on 12 October 2019.
On Saturday morning, a devastating collapse occurred at a Hard Rock Hotel under construction in New Orleans, resulting in the deaths of one person and injuries to at least 18 others, according to a city official.
The New Orleans Fire Department received reports of a collapsed building at 9:12 a.m., with the top six to eight floors of the structure affected, Chief Timothy McConnell explained in a news conference.
Chief McConnell and other officials repeatedly warned people to stay away from the area, citing concerns about the building's stability and the presence of a 270-foot crane that remained unstable and might collapse.
Of the 19 people assessed for injuries at the scene, 18 were transported to area hospitals, where they were reported to be in stable condition. There were no reports of injuries to people on the ground around the construction site.
Gov. John Bel Edwards expressed his concern for those affected, saying, “Obviously, it’s a very serious situation here on Canal Street. I’m just asking for everybody to lift up in prayer those who are at the hospital” and people who were “unaccounted for.”
NOLA Ready, New Orleans’s emergency preparedness campaign, urged people to avoid the area and listen to public safety officials, stating, “This is an active scene. Please avoid the area & listen to public safety officials.”
Witness Sarah Fischer, an employee at Fischer’s Jewelry on Canal Street, described the scene, saying, “We saw, all of a sudden, just this thick cloud of white smoke and metal falling. You couldn’t see in front of you and it lasted 30 seconds, maybe a minute.”
The hotel had been under construction for at least a year, with a planned completion date. The Hard Rock Hotel did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
