At Least One Dead,18 Others Injured In New Orleans After Hotel Under Construction Collapses

Beth Baumann | October 12, 2019 7:23 PM

At least one person and 18 others have been injured after the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans, which was under construction, collapsed at 9:10 a.m. local time.

Two people who were in the building are still missing. Drones have been deployed to search for them. According to NOLA.com, no one on the street sustained injuries.

The building's upper six to eight floors collapsed and the remainder of the building was very unstable, New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent Tim McConnell said during a news conference earlier in the day.

"It's still a very dangerous situation," he told Fox News. "The crane is still in place but it is unsupported and very dangerous. We are in the process of evacuating the buildings in the perimeter."

Buildings in a square made up of Bienville Street, Basin Street, Canal Street and Burgundy were evacuated. Saturday's performances of Wicker at the Saenger Theatre, across the street from the hotel, was also cancelled.

JUST IN via @nolaready: The @NOLAFireDept is evacuating buildings in the red zone by the Uptown side of Bienville, River side of Basin, Downtown Side of Canal and Lake side of Burgundy. If you are in this area, evacuate now! Orange area closed to traffic. @wdsu pic.twitter.com/PPfdQYLk0W
— Christina Watkins (@CWatkinsWDSU) October 12, 2019

City officials are encouraging people to stay away from the area.

"The frame of the building is considered stable but is unsupported, and therefore the situation is considered dangerous and residents are strongly encouraged to avoid the area until further notice," LaTonya Norton, a spokeswoman for New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. said.

Matt Worges, who saw the collapse take place, described what he saw to NOLA.com.

"It sounded like a -- I don't know how to describe it -- like a building coming down," Worges explained. "It was a deep, rumbling sound. Like an airplane maybe. It drew my head immediately."