Philadelphia Building Collapse: Myra Plekam, 61, Rescued After 12 Hours – 6 Dead, 14 Injured

A building in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood collapsed on Wednesday morning during its demolition, destroying the building beside it that housed a Salvation Army thrift store. Twelve hours after the building crumbled, Myra Plekam, 61, was pulled out of the rubble alive. Thus far, there have been 6 reported dead and 14 treated for injuries, reported USA Today.

Plekam, the 14th survivor, was alert and able to communicate to rescuers after spending half a day within the wreckage, Deputy Fire Chief Robert Coyne revealed. Although she is the last individual rescue workers knew was stuck in the rubble, there could still be more trapped. Rescue workers are continuing to search through the building’s remains, as 40% of the area has yet to be checked, according to ABC News.

No official cause has been released by authorities for the building’s collapse, but some, including Florida contractor Stephen Estrin, think it could have been preventable. "This is an inner-city demolition of a masonry building, which would normally be done manually because of the inherent risk — predictable if certain things are not done very slowly and very carefully — of a collapse," the contracting expert told Fox News. "One of the problems with claw work is it sets up a vibration in the walls."

Dan Gillis, who works across the street from the building that was being demolished and the Salvation Army thrift store, wasn’t surprised in the least that the building came down as it did. "They've been working over there for about a week now. It was a 30 foot wall, they started pulling on a piece of steel, and I seen the whole wall just waving back and forth, and as soon as they pulled that out, there was no stopping it," Gillis told ABC News affiliate WPVI-TV.

City Inspector Carlton Williams has stated that the permits and paperwork required of the building’s owners and the contractors were up to date. Furthermore, the building had no prior code violations. The contractor on the job, Griffin Campbell, has yet to comment on the fatal incident.

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