The bodies of two iron workers have been recovered from the rubble of a Philadelphia parking garage that partially collapsed on Wednesday, city officials said Monday morning.
The two men, and a third who was pulled from the rubble shortly after the collapse and later died of his injuries, were members of the Ironworkers 401 union and Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker told reporters at a news conference.
“To the men and women of Local 401 and to every member of the Philadelphia Building Trades, let me say this: Philadelphia feels your pain, Philadelphia prays for you, and your city stands with you,” Parker said.
Officials have yet to release the identities of the three men to the public.
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The parking garage, near 30th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue in South Philadelphia, was under construction at the time of the collapse.
Search and rescue teams pulled one man from the rubble at the time, though he died of his injuries at a hospital later that day. The two others initially remained missing.
The search-and-rescue operation, however, turned into a recovery after search teams determined the two missing individuals had died.
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Fire Commissioner Jeffery Thompson said the bodies of the two men were in a stairwell, which he described as a unique architectural feature of the garage.
Technicians and other personnel used various tools to take apart, piece by piece, the area where the bodies were, using shovels, buckets and their own hands, Thompson said, adding that a human remains detection K-9 was also used to find the men.
The chief said crews had to demolish what remained of the parking garage structure to make the site safe enough during the recovery operation.
Parker said a medical examiner was working to determine the cause and manner of their deaths.
The mayor also vowed to get to the bottom of what led to the partial collapse of the parking garage, saying there will be a full, comprehensive and independent investigation.
“We should continue to keep the families and all of the loved ones in prayers,” Parker said. “And we want God to bless the three souls and everyone who has been impacted by this tragedy.”
