BRAZIL: Search continues for security guard believed missing in rubble of collapsed Sao Paulo building

Record ID: 216425

  • Title: BRAZIL: Search continues for security guard believed missing in rubble of collapsed Sao Paulo building
  • Date: 3rd December 2013
  • Summary: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (DECEMBER 03, 2013) (REUTERS) CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES PARKED IN FRONT OF COLLAPSED BUILDING CLOSE-UP OF RUBBLE VARIOUS OF RESCUE WORKERS DIGGING THROUGH RUBBLE SEARCH AND RESCUE DOG ATTEMPTING TO PICK UP A SCENT CONSTRUCTION WORKER, RAIMUNDO LIMA, OBSERVING SEARCH EFFORTS (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CONSTRUCTION WORKER, RAIMUNDO LIMA, SAYING: "I departed from
  • Embargoed: 18th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA146XK9DT1EK7FGCNS26YHY0NY
  • Story Text: Firemen continued their search for a missing man on Tuesday (December 3) amid the rubble of a collapsed five-story building in Sao Paulo.
    More than 20 firefighting squads, about 65 firefighters in all, first arrived on the scene of the accident site Monday (December 2) night to search for victims in the massive pile of rubble in the suburb of Guarulhos adjacent to the city of Sao Paulo.
    Of the 13 actual construction workers said to have been assigned to the site, none were on duty at the time of the accident - as it occurred after their normal working hours.
    However as of Tuesday, close to 50 firemen were still digging through the fallen heap of concrete for missing 24-year-old Edenilson Jesus Santos, a night watchmen that was reportedly accustomed to sleeping in the building's basement.
    Search and rescue dogs were also called in.
    Raimundo Lima, one of the 13 to exit the work site before the collapse, said he was grateful but felt for the missing Santos.

    "I departed from here at seven and the collapse happened at 7:20. I feel born again and I am very grateful to God that I am alive and well while feeling sad for having a colleague that has disappeared," Lima said.
    Local reports indicated the building under construction fell forward toward the street at around 7:20 p.m. local time (21:20 GMT) on Monday night.
    Relatives of Santos were reportedly also assisting in the search efforts on Tuesday.
    Mauricio Monteagudo, a lawyer for Salema, the company responsible for the building's construction said that an investigation would be conducted to discover what went wrong.

    "The company's own engineer is quite shaken by the situation and does not understand how a construction practically completed can from one hour to the next have this type of implosion occur. It's strange. We will evaluate and make the necessary appraisal. Then we can make our conclusions and erase doubts over what really happened," Monteagudo said.
    As of Tuesday evening there was still no sign of Santos.
    Captain Palumbo, one of the firemen on the scene, said that they would not leave until Santos was found.

    "There has been more than 130 tons of waste removed from here and this indicates that the civil defence teams of Guarulhos' firemen are doing some serious work to try and locate victims. There is only one victim, Edenilson, that we are looking for, and we won't leave until we locate him," Palumbo said.
    Guarulhos suburb is also the neighbourhood home to Sao Paulo's international airport. Construction is currently underway at the airport while a new terminal is being built to help accommodate increased flows of visitors for the upcoming World Cup.
    Construction-related tragedy has dominated much of the news out of Sao Paulo lately after a crane recently collapsed and killed two workers at the building site for the new stadium set to host the opening match of the 2014 World Cup.
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