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A rumble rocked downtown Manhattan on Tuesday when a parking garage collapsed. Reports stated that people were trapped inside the horrific rubble. The parking garage, located in the financial district, an already highly-secure and touchy part of the city thanks to 9/11, began quickly collapsing sometime in the midafternoon. The results are something you might expect to see in a monster movie

Where was the parking garage in New York City that collapsed? 

The former parking garage was at 57 Ann St, between Nassau Street and William Street in lower Manhattan. This catastrophe happened only a few blocks from the New York Stock Exchange

What happened to the NYC parking garage? 

closeup of cars piled after the collapse
NYC Parking deck collapse | YouTube: Daily News

Reports say that the second floor crumbled into the first floor. CBS News reported that emergency responders were working to recover stranded people trapped inside. Local reports also say that the exterior of the structure showed cracks and other signs of buckling. 

In efforts to prevent further collapse, NYFD used hovering platforms to get victims to safe ground. Even drone dogs were used in the recovery efforts. The NYFD and NYPD closed off the surrounding area while the recovery was in progress. However, this neighborhood is particularly packed in, making this difficult. To that end, Pace University, which sits next to the crumbled deck, was ordered to be evacuated due to a risk of further collapse. 

Was anyone hurt in the parking deck collapse? 

According to The Drive, there were six parking deck employees in the building when the incident occurred. Unfortunately, one of the workers died in the collapse. CBS News reported another five injuries. One day after the parking garage collapse in NYC, the death and injury tolls have remained the same despite FDNY and other emergency responders continuing to search for people in the rubble. 

What happens now?

A aerial view of the collapsed parking garage in NYC
collapsed parking garage in NYC | Youtube: Daily News

The video is upsetting because nothing is seen that sets the catastrophe off. The age of the structure simply couldn’t hold the weight of the cars any longer. The footage shows the top floor casually sinking in, sending cars tumbling down the hole formed by the collapse. Because of this, other buildings in the area are also now under the microscope. 

This is the oldest part of Manhattan, with some buildings dating as far back as the early 1700s. Granted, the parking structure wasn’t that old, but many buildings in the area are. As a result, the construction crews will have to stabilize the parking deck to ensure it doesn’t hurt any other buildings. 

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