Afro FM 105.3: Building collapses in Brazilian city

Building collapses in Brazilian city
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Henok  on 27/01/2012 07:45:00
 
Thick layers of debris covered cars and motorcycles in the area after the
collapse on Wednesday evening, and a neighbouring building sustained serious
damage. Television footage showed at least two people on the roof of that
building, apparently awaiting help from firefighters. There were differing
reports on the number of casualties. A spokesperson for Rio de Janeiro's civil
defence department said that two people were confirmed to have died, but
officials from both city hall and the municipal health department disputed that
claim, saying that no deaths had been confirmed. Eduardo Paes, Rio de Janeiro's
mayor, announced at the site that rescue crews pulled four people alive from the
debris, with no dead bodies found by midnight. Hours after the collapse, rescue
crews were still picking through the rubble. There was a strong smell of natural
gas in the area, but Paes said that it was unlikely that a gas leak had caused
the collapse. TV images showed cars covered with concrete and steel rods. Local
media reported that traffic in the area and service in neighbouring subway
stations has been suspended. The local electricity distribution company serving
Rio de Janeiro also cut power to the area to avert the possibility of fires,
given that natural gas could be smelled in the air around the collapse. Rio de
Janeiro is struggling to address concerns over poor infrastructure as it
prepares to co-host the football World Cup in 2014, and the Olympic games two
years later. Aljazeera says the incident comes months after an explosion
apparently caused by a gas leak destroyed a restaurant in the commercial
district of Rio, killing three people and igniting concerns over the state of
the city's infrastructure. In recent months, Rio de Janeiro's inhabitants have
had to deal with unexpected explosions of sewer lines and landslides in some
city slums caused by heavy rain and deforestation. (Aljazeera)