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An apartment building in New Haven, Connecticut, that was partially under construction collapsed Friday, injuring at least seven and leaving two critically, which comes less than a week after a similar disaster struck in Iowa where authorities are still searching for survivors.
key facts
Construction workers were pouring concrete on a 112-unit apartment building on Lafayette Street, just a few blocks from Yale University, when a “portion” of the second floor collapsed into the first floor and basement, New Haven Mayor Justin Elliker said Friday.
Officials received three calls around 12:30 p.m. about a building collapse, and rescued seven injured people from the building, two of them in critical condition, according to Elicker.
Police said the injuries ranged from broken bones to people being crushed under rubble.
Yale owns the ground lease for the property — meaning it owns the land under the building — and the apartment complex itself is owned and under construction by RMS Companies, a real estate developer based in Stamford, Connecticut, Elicker said.
The mayor said the cause of the crash was not immediately clear, and there would be a “major investigation” into the crash.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
What we do not know
Officials did not say if they believed anyone was still trapped.
main background
On Sunday, an apartment building in Davenport, Iowa partially collapsed, injuring a woman who had to amputate her leg to escape. Officials rescued eight people from the rubble immediately after the collapse, and rescued a ninth person more than 24 hours after the collapse as the city prepared to demolish the building. Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel said Tuesday the demolition plan has been paused as five residents remain missing, two of whom are believed to remain inside the building. The building remains vulnerable to further collapse, and officials have described it as “caustic”, making it difficult to search inside. On Friday, cadaver dogs were brought to the scene in the latest attempt to find the missing.
Further reading
People are trapped after a building partially collapses near the Yale campus. (AP News)
Seven injured in partial building collapse in New Haven (NBC Connecticut)
Davenport collapse: Demolition suspended because 5 people still missing (Forbes)
