PHILADELPHIA — Recovery teams located the remains of two construction workers early Monday morning, days after they became trapped when a stairwell roof caved in at a Philadelphia parking garage construction site, city officials confirmed.
The roof section at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia parking structure gave way last Wednesday, causing a devastating collapse that affected all seven floors of the building, according to Mayor Cherelle Parker’s statements to the media last week. Emergency responders initially pulled three injured workers from the debris and transported them to area hospitals, where one later died from their injuries, authorities reported. The remaining two workers received medical treatment and were discharged. By Thursday, search and rescue teams with specially trained dogs detected no survivors in the wreckage.
Throughout the weekend, construction crews carefully dismantled the dangerous structure to allow safe access for search operations, with recovery efforts beginning Sunday evening, officials reported. The two workers were located and removed from the site in the early morning hours Monday.
“They have recovered both individuals with the utmost dignity and compassion and respect for their families and loved ones,” Parker stated. The city’s Department of Public Health and Medical Examiner’s office will handle the formal identification process.
Parker also revealed plans to direct the city solicitor and legal department to launch a comprehensive investigation into what caused the deadly collapse.
