Building collapses in Virginia; 12 may be inside

by Tina Kells | September 10, 2008 at 02:33 pm

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A building that was under construction is Richmond, Virginia, collapsed Wednesday and 12 workers are believed to be trapped inside. Emergency rescue crews are still on the scene trying to reach the workers.

Chesterfield County Fire Lt. Matt Coffin said 911 dispatchers received reports that a dozen workers were inside when a 60-foot-section came crashing down around noon.

But crews had not confirmed the workers were in the building, and a drywall worker told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the workers were at lunch at the time of the collapse. Authorities at the scene did not confirm the worker's account, and said a search of the building could take hours.

"We cannot just go into a building that has collapsed because of the inherent hazards that are there," Coffin said. "We're going to take a very slow approach to this to protect our folks that are involved."

Rescue crews have managed to stabilize the building but are uncertain if any of the 12 missing workers are still alive, or of they are even trapped in the rubble at all.

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