Philadelphia firefighters rush a victim to a waiting medic unit.
Philadelphia, PA (June 5, 2013) -- A four-story building that was being demolished apparently fell onto Salvation Army store in central Philadelphia at about 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, city Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers says.
A witness, Ari Barkin, told CNN that a part of an unoccupied building set for demolition fell onto a one-story Salvation Army building. Debris also hit three cars and a sidewalk, he said. Another witness, Jordan McLaughlin, told CNN affiliate KYW that a number of people were in the Salvation Army building, and that he helped pull two people from the rubble.
At 12:40pm, two people were still believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, and companies from the Philadelphia Fire Department's Collapse Rescue Team were working feverishly to remove them from the debris. Twelve people had been taken to hospitals.
“This is an active search and rescue. It’s ... delicate and dangerous.” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told reporters.
"Keep in mind we did not know, and we do not know, how many people were actually in the thrift store this morning when the wall collapsed this morning," and that's why the search continues, Nutter said.
A 2:45pm update revealed that 14 people had been removed from the debris with 13 being transported to local hospitals.
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