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Philadelphia partial building collapse: Ironworker pulled from rubble identified by family
Family members identified one of the fallen ironworkers as 51-year-old Matthew Kane, a father of two. Family members say he "truly loved his job."
PHILADELPHIA - The bodies of two workers who perished when a stair tower of a Philadelphia parking garage collapsed last week were pulled from the demolished remains of the former seven-story building.
What we know:
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Fire Commissioner Jeffery Thompson held an early Monday morning press conference where they announced the bodies of two ironworkers who died in the collapse were recovered.
Thompson explained that once the parking garage was demolished and the large chunks of debris were removed, technical rescue crews dug through the rubble to reach the two bodies.
The bodies, which still have not been publicly identified, were taken away in an ambulance. Ironworkers who helped with the recovery effort were seen embracing after the bodies were located.
Family members identified one of the fallen ironworkers as 51-year-old Matthew Kane, a father of two. Family members say he "truly loved his job."
What they're saying:
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker spoke Monday morning at a press conference following the recovery of the bodies.
"To the men and women of Local 401 and to every member of the Philadelphia Building Trades, let me say this: Philadelphia feels your pain, Philadelphia prays for you, and your city stands with you," Parker said.
She ordered flags in Philadelphia to fly at half-staff until sunset Friday.
"This has been a heartbreaking tragedy for our city, especially for the families of the workers we lost," said Mayor Parker.
The backstory:
First responders were called to 30th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue around 2 p.m. Wednesday for reports of a structure collapse.
One person was pulled from the rubble and taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital where they were pronounced dead, officials say.
Two more people injured in the collapse were taken to the hospital for treatment.
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2 bodies recovered in Grays Ferry parking garage collapse
The bodies of two workers who perished when a stair tower of a Philadelphia parking garage collapsed last week were pulled from the demolished remains of the former seven-story building.
The site of the collapse remained unsafe to search which slowed the recovery efforts for the two ironworkers who were presumed dead.
The seven-story parking garage, which was still under construction for CHOP, was demolished over the weekend, which allowed the recovery effort to resume.
Dig deeper:
The collapse happened when the subcontractor, Precast Services Incorporated, was installing concrete floor decking and roof segments when a roof segment failed, causing a progressive collapse.
Doorbell camera footage from a house about a block away from the parking garage captured the sudden start of the collapse, each floor crashing onto the one below it.
Eight permits were properly issued, all inspections were up-to-date, and the general contractor is HSC Builders and Construction. The parking garage was a seven-story structure under construction for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.