Hardhat buried in wall collapse
Recovery effort persists at B’klyn site
A construction worker fell under an avalanche of rubble as a wall collapsed above a trench at a Brooklyn construction site — sparking a grim FDNY rescue effort in the middle of an unrelenting rainstorm, officials said.
A retaining wall cracked and collapsed at the 39th St. site near Seventh Ave. in Sunset Park at about 1:30 p.m., authorities said.
A handful of workers were in the trench when it fell. One didn’t make it out — a 47-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, police said.
“They were pulling down the beams and the whole wall just fell down on top of the guy and collapsed on him,” said a woman who lived across the street from the site. “It fell right on top of him.”
An army of firefighters in bunker gear responded to the site to begin digging operations. Dozens of residents spent the afternoon watching the rescue from their home.
Three hours later, firefighters were still searching for the missing worker, who is believed buried underneath debris and a mix of mud and concrete.
Yet the chances of recovering the worker alive were becoming more and more remote.
“The incident is transitioning from a rescue to a recovery,” the FDNY said in a tweet.
The worker lived in the Bronx, but his relatives all reside in the Dominican Republic, officials said. Cops aren’t releasing his name until they’re contacted.
“There was a structural collapse. (The Office of Emergency Management) determined there was potential for further collapse,” Gonzalez said. “It is no longer a rescue attempt at this point. We’re trying to recover his body.”
“This is a bad day for the people of My district,” Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) said.
The city Department of Buildings has sent inspectors to find out what sparked the collapse.
The site is owned by 348 37th St. LLC, and two contractors — Ground to Sky City Builders Corp. in Yonkers and WSC Group LLC in Brooklyn — are working on the property. None could be reached for comment.