NEW ORLEANS — A large section of a Hard Rock Hotel under construction at the edge of New Orleans’ historic French Quarter collapsed Saturday amid blinding dust and flying debris, killing one person, injuring more than 20 and leaving two unaccounted as rescue workers hastened to enter what was left of the largely unstable building.
Nearby buildings were evacuated and a 270-foot construction crane — one of two still looming over the multi-story building — also was dangerously unstable, Fire Chief Tim McConnell said.
“There is a very strong possibility of further collapse of this crane right now,” McConnell said.
McConnell said urban search and rescue teams on Saturday afternoon were entering a section of the building in hopes of finding the two missing people alive.
Neither of the missing people had been spotted, but McConnell said authorities believe they know their approximate locations based on talks with other survivors of the collapse. Camera-equipped drones were used to get closer views of the wreckage from the air but did not capture any sign of the missing.
One man who had been unaccounted for turned out to have gone to a local hospital, authorities said.
Officials said 18 other people were transported to the hospital from the scene and “several” others reported to hospitals on their own. No life-threatening injuries were reported among the known survivors.
McConnell said one of the missing is believed to be in a relatively stable part of the wrecked building. Another was believed to be in a less stable area.
As search and rescue efforts unfolded, police stood sentry around a group of people on the Canal Street median who were believed to be loved ones of the missing.
One woman nearby said she was trying to find out the status of her brother, a worker at the site. She declined to give her name, wiping tears from her eyes as she walked away.
Removal of the damaged crane and cleanup of massive piles of debris promised to be a massive undertaking and it was unclear how long it would tie up traffic and commerce. The site is at a meeting point of major bus and streetcar lines and two major traffic arteries near the heart of the tourism-dependent city’s most popular draw for visitor — the French Quarter. Included in the evacuated area was the Saenger Theatre, where traveling companies perform Broadway Shows regularly.