One killed, six injured in parking garage collapse in New York

NEW YORK - One person was killed and six others were injured in a partial building collapse Tuesday in lower Manhattan, reported the Gernam Press Agency (dpa), quoting emergency officials.

The top floors of the four-storey parking garage "pancaked" just after 4 pm, city officials said.

The upper floors, which were packed with cars, crumbled, sending the vehicles into the void below, photos taken from adjacent buildings show.

The facade of the building also buckled around 5 pm and was in danger of falling into the street.

Details of the fatality were not immediately clear.

Emergency workers blocked off the street as firefighters strived to find people who could be trapped inside.

Several victims injured in the collapse were taken to local hospitals and are now considered in stable condition.

The New York City Fire Department received reports that people were trapped inside the structure, but after a search using a robot dog and drones, officials determined that all the garage employees were accounted for.

Firefighters initially entered the building but then pulled out because the structure was deemed unstable and could collapse further.

The garage is owned by Abacus Bank, according to city property records. - BERNAMA