01 February 2024 , 04:06
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A building collapse has left three people dead and nine others injured after an airport hangar was destroyed in Boise, Idaho, officials have confirmed.
The collapse happened in the grounds of the city’s airport at around 5pm on Wednesday. City officials had said earlier that five of the injured were in critical condition. Boise Fire Department operations chief Aaron Hummel said they had accounted for everyone who had been at the site when the steel-framed hangar collapse.
“It was a very chaotic scene,” he said, describing the incident as “catastrophic” and a “large-scale collapse” of the framework of the building. “I don’t know what caused it, but I can tell you it was a pretty global collapse.”
He said some of the victims were on a hoist or other elevated platform at the time the structure fell and confirmed a crane also collapsed in the incident. Boise Airport operations were not impacted, officials said. A rescue operation was expected to continue into the night.
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Footage from the scene showed a large number of police cars lined up at the side of the road in Boise, Idaho (No credit)The building, situated on Boise Airport property in Idaho, US, suffered a "catastrophic" collapse as first responders described arriving to a scenes of chaos shortly before 5pm on Wednesday evening. It's believed the building was mid-construction and a crane was also involved in the collapse.
The Boise Fire Department wrote on X, formerly Twitter : "Emergency responders are on scene of a reported building collapse at W. Rickenbacker St. and Luke Street. There are reports of multiple injuries. The Boise Airport is not impacted. More information will be available here as it is confirmed. Search and Rescue efforts are underway. Wright St. is currently closed."
Footage from the scene showed a large number of police cars lined up at the side of the road with what appeared to be a mangled pile of metal and building material set back from the road.
An official from Boise Fire Department earlier said 12 people had so far been identified as injured and work was continuing to contact their family. They said work out continue into the night as scene lighting was being brought to continue sifting through debris.
It is not yet known what type of building has collapsed, although a Boise Fire Department spokesman told reporters it was mid-construction and said a rigid steel frame was being erected at the time of collapse. Idaho State Police said on X that the collapse and response were causing traffic issues on Interstate 84 near the airport. People driving in the area should use caution and stay alert, police said.
Chief Aaron Hummel said during a news briefing seven fire engines and three ladder trucks attended the scene along with "at least a dozen ambulances in addition to response from the airport." Witnesses travelling on the road at the time reported seeing the huge emergency response on the commute home.
James Quintan, retired law enforcement, saw emergency vehicles rushing past him, thinking the dramatic response was likely in relation to a plane crash before spotting the collapsed hangar and paramedics treating victims, reports the San Diego Tribune. He said: "I’m retired law enforcement and when there is that much commotion, that many emergency personnel and vehicles, there is something huge that has taken place. It was a scary sight."
Leticia Ramirez, a spokesperson for Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, said emergency and trauma teams were working with first responders to treat patients who arrived from the scene. An investigation has now been launched into the cause of the collapse.