Watergate parking garage collapses, at least 1 hurt
The Watergate parking garage collapse, Friday, May 1, 2015. (Photo: WJLA/Jay Korff)
WASHINGTON (AP/WJLA) - District of Columbia rescuers were searching through the rubble of a collapsed parking garage Friday at the Watergate complex, where at least one person was injured.
Fire department spokesman Timothy Wilson said three stories of the garage collapsed. One person sustained a minor injury and was taken to a local hospital. The area was under construction at the time.
Officials described the scene as a "pancake collapse" in which one floor falls into another. Photographs from the outside showed the garage may have had a green roof with trees and plants that fell into the collapsed area.
All construction workers were accounted for, Wilson said. Firefighters were searching for anyone else who may be trapped. Fire department spokesman Oscar Mendez said no one else was reported missing.
Construction worker Gabriel Gresczyk said he heard a rumble and then saw a 40-foot-by-40-foot section go down, hitting the floor below it. Then he said the floor below collapsed.
The historic Watergate building complex was evacuated after the collapse.
The complex was made famous by the 1972 burglary and scandal that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. The Watergate Hotel, which is part of the complex of offices and condominiums, is undergoing a $125 million renovation.
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