A building under demolition in central London has collapsed, injuring a construction worker.
London Fire Brigade reported that it was called to a six-storey building undergoing demolition in Portugal Street, Aldwych, at 4.14pm on 20 April.
It said part of the building’s structure, as well as the scaffolding surrounding it, had collapsed.
Contractor Keltbray confirmed that it was carrying out demolition works on the site and that one of its machine drivers was injured.
“Having received hospital treatment, [the driver] was discharged late morning last Wednesday and he is now recuperating at home,” said a Keltbray spokesperson.
“Fortunately nobody else was hurt. Our prime focus at present remains both supporting the machine driver and his family, and continuing our investigation of the incident with the relevant authorities
“All operations on site have been suspended while we work to fully understand the circumstances of the incident.”
About 100 people were evacuated from the building site and a further 100 people were evacuated from neighbouring properties as a precaution.
Fire brigade station manager John Snelgrove said: “When the first crews arrived they found the building, which was under refurbishment, had collapsed between the fifth and second floors.”
The HSE is investigating the incident.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Please remember that the submission of any material is governed by our Terms and Conditions and by submitting material you confirm your agreement to these Terms and Conditions. Please note comments made online may also be published in the print edition of New Civil Engineer. Links may be included in your comments but HTML is not permitted.