edible
12-06-2007, 06:27 PM
LONDON (AFP) - A building in central London partially collapsed Tuesday, injuring at least one person, emergency services said, but the cause of the incident was not immediately clear.
The building in Dean Farrar Street in Victoria, near the Metropolitan Police headquarters and the Houses of Parliament, fell in shortly after 4:00 p.m. (1500 GMT), said a London Fire Brigade spokesman.
The block houses the campaign office of a contender for the Labour Party deputy leadership, Hazel Blears, a key ally of Prime Minister Tony Blair who is currently party chairwoman.
The fire service spokesman said that the fourth and fifth floors of the building, which was being refurbished, had collapsed. Live television pictures showed that these were at the top.
Footage also showed large pieces of masonry strewn across the road and one lump had crushed the front end of a van parked on the road near the building.
The Metropolitan Police said that there was no sign of an explosion in the building and police let gas inspectors through a cordon which they put in place around the damaged area.
But eyewitness Barshan Ganwari told BBC television that "the noise which I heard was like a blast...the whole area was covered with dust."
Justin Linger, who was in the building when it collapsed, added: "It was more than a noise -- it was just a feeling of the building actually physically moving."
The London Ambulance Service said that one person had been treated for minor injuries and taken to hospital.
Seven fire engines and over 50 firefighters rushed to the scene, as did two ambulances, a paramedic and an air ambulance, as police cordoned off the area around the building.
London has long been on alert for a possible terrorist attack, in particular since the July 7, 2005 suicide bombings which killed 52 people on the public transport system, as well as the four bombers.
The building in Dean Farrar Street in Victoria, near the Metropolitan Police headquarters and the Houses of Parliament, fell in shortly after 4:00 p.m. (1500 GMT), said a London Fire Brigade spokesman.
The block houses the campaign office of a contender for the Labour Party deputy leadership, Hazel Blears, a key ally of Prime Minister Tony Blair who is currently party chairwoman.
The fire service spokesman said that the fourth and fifth floors of the building, which was being refurbished, had collapsed. Live television pictures showed that these were at the top.
Footage also showed large pieces of masonry strewn across the road and one lump had crushed the front end of a van parked on the road near the building.
The Metropolitan Police said that there was no sign of an explosion in the building and police let gas inspectors through a cordon which they put in place around the damaged area.
But eyewitness Barshan Ganwari told BBC television that "the noise which I heard was like a blast...the whole area was covered with dust."
Justin Linger, who was in the building when it collapsed, added: "It was more than a noise -- it was just a feeling of the building actually physically moving."
The London Ambulance Service said that one person had been treated for minor injuries and taken to hospital.
Seven fire engines and over 50 firefighters rushed to the scene, as did two ambulances, a paramedic and an air ambulance, as police cordoned off the area around the building.
London has long been on alert for a possible terrorist attack, in particular since the July 7, 2005 suicide bombings which killed 52 people on the public transport system, as well as the four bombers.