On Wednesday, a section of roof over a stairwell at a parking garage under construction at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia collapsed suddenly, killing one person and leaving two others missing, authorities said. Mayor Cherelle Parker said the failure caused what she described as a progressive collapse across the garage’s connected structure, spanning seven levels. She also said officials would not stop searching until the missing workers were accounted for.
Parker said the collapse occurred at the hospital’s parking garage and that the damage quickly spread through connected sections. In remarks to reporters, she said rescuers were not expected to “give up” on the people still unaccounted for, adding that the city would not rest until everyone was found.
By Thursday, Parker said search dogs had not found any signs of life at the collapse site. Her comments came as authorities continued emergency operations and reassessed how to safely reach the remaining sections where two workers were still missing.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said crews initially rescued three people, including one who was critically injured and later died at the hospital. Thompson said two others were treated at the hospital and released after the initial rescue operation.
Thompson said the remaining structure was unstable, and he described a plan to bring the building down in order to search it thoroughly. He said crews would “deconstruct and de-layer this building,” a step aimed at making it safe for responders to get to lower levels and check whether any survivors remained.
Parker said all required permits for the project were properly issued and inspections were up to date, and she said the city will investigate the collapse. The hospital said it was prioritizing construction workers’ safety and working with the city and its construction partners as crews carried out their response.
In the days following the collapse, authorities’ next steps focused on recovery and safety: accounting for the two missing workers while taking apart the unstable structure to determine whether anyone could still be found within the garage’s lower levels. The incident also set up an investigation by city officials into the circumstances surrounding the collapse.