One Dead, Three Missing and 18 Injured When Hard Rock Hotel Collapses in New Orleans!
Tragedy struck the city of New Orleans this morning as the top floors of the Hard Rock Hotel fell onto the street below.
The catastrophe has left one dead, three unaccounted for and 18 people injured. The injured were taken to an area hospital and are listed in stable conditions.
It is unclear what caused the collapse but witnesses say it was unprovoked.
The collapse was caught on video. Take a look.
“I don’t know where my husband is,” she said.
Anthony Magrette of King Company was on the site during the collapse. He has not been accounted for, Espinoza said.
“Nobody from his company has seen him. They can’t find where he is.”
The site is located at the corner of Canal and North Rampart streets.
In an 11:20 a.m. news conference near the scene, New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent Tim McConnell said the upper six to eight floors of the structure collapsed and that the building remains very unstable.
Authorities were evacuating buildings in a square roughly bounded by Bienville Street, Basin Street, Canal Street and Burgundy. Saturday's performances of Wicker at the Saenger Theatre, which is across North Rampart from the hotel were cancelled.
"The building is unstable, so a collapse is still possible," McConnell told reporters.
One worker said about 45 people were working inside the building."
This story is still developing and we will keep you all up to date as more details become available.
