One trapped, several hurt in Washington building collapse
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Search and rescue crews were attempting on Thursday to free a construction worker trapped inside a partially-built five-story building that collapsed during a rain storm in Washington.
Four other construction workers were removed from the debris shortly after the building in the U.S. capital came down at about 3:30 pm (1930 GMT), said John Donnelly, assistant chief of D.C. Fire and EMS.
The rescued workers were taken from the scene about 5 miles (8 km) north of the Capitol building to a local hospital. They had non-life-threatening injuries, Donnelly said.
The trapped worker was conscious and in contact with fire crews as they sought to free him from the rubble, Donnelly said, adding: "We are talking to him and I view that as a good thing."
Images showed dozens of firefighters swarming over piles of wood left behind by the collapse, using saws and heavy equipment to move large pieces.
Last week, a condominium tower collapsed in Surfside, Florida as most residents slept. Searchers there have recovered 18 bodies and say another 145 people remain missing.
President Joe Biden traveled https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-headed-florida-grieve-with-families-condo-collapse-2021-07-01 to the scene of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Florida on Thursday.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
