New Orleans officials set off a series of explosions aimed at toppling two cranes that had been looming precariously over the ruins of a partially collapsed hotel.
Workers are raised in a crane bucket to prepare two unstable cranes for implosion at the collapse site of the Hard Rock Hotel, which underwent a partial, major collapse while under construction last Sat., Oct., 12, in New Orleans, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019.
“As they got up and got closer they found out some things about it that have changed the way they are going to take it down ... and that’s going to take a little longer for them to accomplish,” said Fire Chief Tim McConnell. “The cranes are more damaged than they thought.”On Sunday morning, the streets around the demolition area were largely quiet, with police at most intersections directing pedestrians and cars away from the area. Tourists with luggage in tow walked out of the neighborhood.
While the rest of the building will also have to be dealt with, the cranes — one around 270 feet high, the other about 300 feet — have been the more immediate point of concern. Experts, including engineers who worked on demolitions following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, were called in to try to come up with a plan to clear the site and prevent the cranes falling on their own, at risk of further injury and damage.
Two bodies remain in the hotel’s unstable wreckage and Mayor LaToya Cantrell said recovering the remains would be a priority once the cranes are down. On Saturday, workers suspended in a basket held by a crane could be seen high over the wreckage, working on the cranes. Down below, streets in one of the busiest parts of town were closed off and tents were set up in the center of Canal Street, where the city’s famous red streetcars usually roll back and forth.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New Orleans will use explosives to bring down cranes at collapsed Hard Rock HotelDemolition experts will use small explosives to bring down the two cranes still standing at the site of the partially collapsed Hard Rock Hotel collapse in New Orleans.
Read more »
Threat of winds delays demolition of New Orleans cranesThreats from a tropical storm have delayed the implosion of the two cranes at the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans, which partially collapsed during construction, officials say
Read more »
After delay, New Orleans to demolish cranes at hotel siteCity officials in New Orleans are planning to use a series of controlled explosions to take down two cranes that have been standing precariously over the remains of a partially collapsed hotel
Read more »
Parts of downtown New Orleans are evacuated ahead of cranes demolitionAreas of New Orleans around the partially collapsed Hard Rock Hotel were being evacuated Sunday as the city prepared to demolish two dangerous construction cranes.
Read more »