- Three bodies were found Thursday morning
- As many as 19 are still missing
- Three buildings collapsed Wednesday night
Sao Paulo, Brazil (CNN) -- Brazilian rescue workers dug through rubble in search of survivors Thursday morning, hours after three buildings collapsed in the historic center of Rio de Janeiro, Mayor Eduardo Paes told reporters.
Nineteen people were still missing, Paes said, and five people had been rescued with injuries.
Three bodies were found Thursday morning, CNN affiliate Band TV reported, but it was not known if they were among those reported missing.
The commercial buildings were largely empty when they crumbled Wednesday night, sending rubble and dust flying through the air.
It was not immediately clear what caused the collapses of the 20-story building and the adjacent 10 and 4-story buildings. Officials said they were investigating both the possibility of a gas leak and a structural failure.
The accident comes at a delicate time for Rio de Janeiro as it prepares for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games two years later.
The buildings were located just steps from the emblematic Municipal Theater, where U.S. President Barack Obama gave a speech last year during his visit to Brazil.
Residents talked to CNN affiliate TV Record about what they saw.
"I started to hear a crackling. I thought they were gunshots. When I looked up, I saw the top floors falling," maintenance worker Julio Cesar de Oliveira Brandao said.
A fire broke out after the buildings fell, the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency reported. The entire area -- a bustling commercial center during the day and a popular drinking spot at night -- was closed off Thursday.
Cars parked on the street near the buildings were covered in dust, and there was a strong smell of gas in the area, fire officials said, according to the news agency. The lobby of one of the buildings contained a bank branch and a bakery, Agencia Brasil said.
Witnesses told Band TV that neighboring buildings swayed, as if there had been an earthquake. One witness said people were inside one of the buildings when it collapsed.
Electrical engineer Jorge Drauss told TV Record he was drinking juice at a nearby diner when he saw small stones falling from the top of one of the buildings.
"I thought it was someone making a hole for air conditioning," he said. "From one moment to another, the building began to fall."
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_world/~3/D4WseNjLNNk/index.html
abc world news with diane sawyer 2011 abc world news with diane sawyer video abc world news with donnie mcclurkin ally asl on world news with diane sawyer andrew maguire king world news
No comments:
Post a Comment