Nov. 27 (UPI) — Search and rescue crews scouring the rubble of a partially collapsed downtown Cincinnati building located the body of a missing worker Tuesday, according to officials.
City manager Patrick Duhaney announced that the body had been found in a letter to the mayor and city council, saying the situation remains “fluid” and more information will be released when “appropriate.”
“The heart of the City of Cincinnati goes out to the family and friends of the deceased,” he said. “This is truly a sad day for our city. I cannot imagine the grief this family must be going through at this time.”
He said it’s been a difficult week for Cincinnati since the sixth floor of a building under construction collapsed Monday afternoon, causing rescue teams to be deployed to the scene to search for missing workers.
“Together, we will mourn and then we will come together to get through this rough time,” he said.
The sixth floor of the mixed-purpose building collapsed as workers a floor above were pouring concrete. Four workers were rescued from the building and were treated at local hospitals before being released, and a fifth worker received treatment at the scene, city officials said.
On Monday night, Duhaney wrote that the rescue operation had transitioned into search and recovery for the lone missing worker.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce first responders are transitioning from a rescue effort to recovery mode in the search for a construction worker who went missing after a partial building collapse early this afternoon,” he wrote. “It goes without saying that this a human tragedy.”
When finished, the building by Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation and Indianapolis developer Flaherty and Collins will be 14 stories and will include street-level retail, apartments and a parking garage. The apartments had just started being constructed when the partial collapse occurred.
