A stairwell roof collapsed at a parking garage under construction at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Wednesday, killing one person and leaving two others missing and presumed dead, city officials said. Mayor Cherelle Parker said the portion of the stairwell roof that fell triggered a “progressive collapse of connected sections across all seven levels.”
After the collapse, crews rescued three people, including one who was critically injured and later died at the hospital, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said. The other two people who were rescued were treated and released, officials said.
Parker said she understood the situation as a continuing search and emphasized that the city would keep working to account for those missing. “Let me be very clear about something at this moment: We are not, we will not give up on these individuals and we will not rest until everyone is accounted for from this tragedy,” she said, according to the officials’ remarks.
By Thursday, Parker said search dogs had not found any signs of life at the collapse site. Thompson said the building remained unstable, which affected how crews could search.
Thompson said the response would shift to removing the structure piece by piece. “We’re actually going to deconstruct and de-layer this building, and that will make it safe for my members to get inside and get down to the lowest levels to ensure that we don’t have any survivors down there,” he said.
Parker also said the hospital’s project had required permits that were properly issued and inspections that were up to date. She said the city would investigate the collapse.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said in a statement that it was prioritizing construction workers’ safety and working closely with the city and its construction partners.