Nine workers were transported to local hospitals in Houston, Texas yesterday morning when part of the roof of a multi-story commercial building under construction there collapsed.
The Houston Fire Department said firefighters arrived at the scene at 3498 North Main just before 9am and conducted a rescue mission lasting more than two and a half hours.Â
“There were workers on the top of the slap when it failed and all workers on that floor had self-evacuated with no one reported missing,” it said.
The building under construction is to be a hotel, according to an AP report, which added that those taken to hospital suffered cuts and broken bones.
Two injured workers were trapped on the 5th floor and were rescued with a stokes basket, the department added.
The building at 3498 North Main (Houston Fire Department)
Crews from 10 stations responded, as well as the Hazmat unit and a Heavy Rescue team.
The scene was cleared at 11:40am.Â
Concern has been raised about the number of deaths on construction sites in Texas, and about exploitative practices in the state.
In 2017, the last year for which data are available, 183 people died in Texas in occupations relating to construction, installation, repair, maintenance and extraction, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Photographs courtesy of the Houston Fire Department
