Collapse At Houston’s Rice University Kills 1

HOUSTON (AP) – One worker was killed and seven others were injured Thursday after several walls collapsed at a dormitory that was under construction at Rice University, fire department officials said.

The collapse happened at around 4 p.m., said Houston Assistant Fire Chief Omero Longoria. Five construction workers were trapped when the walls collapsed on the building’s second floor.

“We had to dig them out,” Longoria said.

One person was killed and four others were transported to local hospitals. Longoria said he did not immediately know the extent of the injuries of the four workers.

Three other workers received minor injuries after they tried to dig the others out of the rubble, Longoria said. They were treated at the scene.

No other victims were found underneath the rubble after additional searches were conducted by rescue workers.

“We’ve accounted for all other employees with the construction company,” Longoria said.

It was not immediately known what caused the wall to collapse but stormy weather passed through the area just before it happened.

“That’s a possibility,” Longoria said, adding that a separate investigation by the contractor and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration would try to determine an exact cause.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)