Two leaning cranes felled after hotel’s collapse
No damage seen from demolition of dangerous structures
NEW ORLEANS — Officials set off thundering explosions that toppled two cranes Sunday that had loomed precariously for days over a partially collapsed hotel in New Orleans. They said their controlled demolition went “exactly” as planned, and efforts now would focus on retrieving two bodies still inside the ruined building.
The afternoon explosions sent up massive clouds of dust and sent one crane crashing to the street while the second fell in a way that left much of it resting atop the ruined hotel building, where officials said it was “stable” and could be removed piecemeal.
Only one body could be removed in the days after the collapse.
The two construction cranes were badly damaged when the hotel’s upper floors collapsed atop each.
The cranes — one around 270 feet tall, the other about 300 feet — weighed thousands of tons. They had been tilting dangerously, and officials had feared the towers would come down on their own, possibly smashing into nearby buildings or severely damaging underground gas and electric lines.
Loud alarms were sounded as curious throngs were kept blocks away before the blasts rocked the quiet of a Sunday afternoon.
Fire Chief Tim McConnell said a sewer line was damaged by falling debris from the blasts but efforts were underway to begin repairs. He also said officials were relieved that nearby gas and electric utilities appeared undamaged after a preliminary assessment.
“I do not think it could have gone much better,” McConnell said. He added that one crane fell and got “hooked on the building like we wanted. It’s very stable.” He said “it’s way better than what it looks” because of the way it is resting, adding that workers would now cut the crane into pieces and use another crane to take them away.
The remains of one worker was removed from the building days ago. Authorities said getting the remaining bodies out was the next objective, though they cautioned that the building was dangerous and unstable even though it did not collapse further with Sunday’s demolition.
The cause of the building’s collapse is unknown, and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating.
Lawsuits on behalf of some of the more than 20 people injured are already being filed against the project’s owners and contractors.