Paramedics had reached the seriously injured, trapped construction worker and were treating him while efforts were being made to free him.
A construction worker was killed and another was trapped for hours after a building undergoing demolition work partially collapsed in Manhattan on Friday, authorities said.
Emergency responders worked tirelessly to free the trapped worker, who had been seriously injured when the interior of an eight-story building on West 38th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Midtown caved in about 10:30 a.m., a fire department spokesman said.
Paramedics had reached the man and were treating him while efforts were being made to free him, according to the spokesman. After about three hours, paramedics freed the man, who had been trapped in basement.
The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was in serious but stable condition, said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.
Read: Oregon Girl Contracts Bubonic Plague During Hunting Trip
The block had been closed off to civilians as twenty units and approximately 80 firefighters responded to the collapse, he said.
The building was undergoing demolition work to convert it to the Aloft New York Midtown, a Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. hotel that is slated to open in May 2018, the company’s website said.
The owners of Northeast Service Interiors, the demolition company working on the building, were at the site of the collapse and were unable to comment on the incident.
Read: Newly-Released Footage Shows Deadly Restaurant Shootout Between Rival Biker Gangs
Northeast Service Interiors received city approval just two weeks ago to work on the building after the building’s owners switched demolition companies, according to Buildings Department records.
Metro Industrial Wrecking, which records indicate had been approved in May to work on the building, reportedly pulled out of the job. The New York Daily News wrote that the company dropped the job after issues over money. Metro Industrial Wrecking could not be reached for comment.
The contractor working at the site received city approval in May for demolition and there were no recent work violations, DOB records indicate.
Watch Below: Owen Labrie Sentenced to a Year in Jail for Sexual Assault at Prep School
