Two people have died and three are still missing after the Hard Rock Hotel collapsed in New Orleans which has been under construction for months.
Watch the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans which collapsed on Saturday
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Video Credit: Rumble
The 18-storey building collapsed and its top floors plunged to the street below on Saturday morning. The city officials and Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards confirmed two persons have died, more than 18 people have been injured while three people are still missing.
The footage, which is going viral on the Internet, shows the top floors of the 18-storey building collapsing onto Basin Street.
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New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent Tim McConnell said during a press conference that the upper six to eight floors of the building collapsed and the building is unstable and a collapse is still possible.point 387 | 1
Many, who live nearby, were evacuated. Sue Hurley, who was staying at a hostel across the street, said: “I heard a huge noise and thought it was a plane crash. Then, the hostel shook. The noise was as strong as the 9/11 crash. The dust was as thick.”
Another guest at the hostel, Michael Arbeiter said: “I’m not sure what happened but they told us to get out of here. I’m supposed to stay until Monday. Thank God it was not another 9/11.”
The Hard Rock Hotel, which is an 18-storey building with 350 rooms, was expected to open in the spring.
The cause of the collapse is not known yet. New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent Tim McConnell has urged everyone to stay away from the hotel because collapse is still possible.
Mayor Cantrell said: “After search and rescue, it will shift into a full-investigative mode and we will be relentless in those efforts moving forward.”
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