On Tuesday, according to officials, a four-story parking garage in New York City collapsed, killing one worker, injuring five others, and crushing vehicles.
After firefighters were directed to withdraw from the unstable structure in lower Manhattan's Financial District, near New York Stock Exchange and Pace University, rescue teams utilized robotic devices.
According to officials, all victims have been accounted for.
Jadess Speller, a student at Pace University, told the AP that the implosion "felt like an earthquake."
It was so violent that it was "as if the inside of the earth had split open," she said.
A photo posted by the office of Mayor Eric Adams depicted a vehicle on its side at the garage's entrance.
John Esposito, chief of operations for the fire department, told the AP that searches of vehicles still inside the structure continued Tuesday evening.
According to him, one garage employee was rescued after becoming stranded on an upper floor.
"He was conscious, alert, mobile, and calling out to us. "He simply could not descend," Mr. Esposito said.
He stated that four injured were transported to the hospital and in stable condition, while the fifth refused medical care.
The garage collapsed at approximately 4:00 pm local time, close to City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Pace evacuated an adjacent dormitory and classroom facility and canceled all evening classes while evaluating the safety of the structures.
The school administrators placed the displaced students in a student center while they sought alternative housing.
Don Mulligan was on the 17th floor of a nearby hotel when he heard a jet-like rumble and felt the building sway.
"You knew something was happening," Mr. Mulligan of Cincinnati told the Associated Press. He stated that the hotel was evacuated.
'Completely Unstable'
The collapse's cause was not readily apparent.
According to City Buildings Department records, the three-story building has been a garage since at least the 1920s, and there are no current permits for construction, as reported by AP.
A parking company that identifies the garage as one of its properties received messages.
The collapse rendered the structure "completely unstable," as stated by Mr. Adams.
Mr. Esposito stated that firefighters had to withdraw due to the hazard and that a drone and a robotic dog were used instead to conduct searches.
Kazimir Vilenchik, New York City's interim buildings commissioner, stated that the structure was "completely flattened, down to the cellar floor."
Thai Nguyen, 35, a Chinatown resident and manager of the nearby Kollective Klub, told Reuters, "It all happened so quickly."
"Two structures separate our store from the parking garage, and we also have a hotel nearby. People rushed into our store inquiring if they could seek refuge there."
