Man killed in S.D. building collapse; woman rescued alive
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Emergency crews have recovered the body of the construction worker that was trapped underneath the rubble of the Copper Lounge building collapse, CBS affiliate KELO reports.
The building went down just after 10 a.m. Friday morning. After over seven hours of searching, the man’s body was recovered.
The worker was reportedly working on the bottom level of the building when it collapsed.
NOW on #KELONews at 5: The many people who work and live in downtown react to the disaster in the city's center. pic.twitter.com/6KD3sfgTrF
— KELO News (@keloland) December 2, 2016
Around 1:30 p.m. Friday, 22-year-old Emily Fodness was found alive with some leg injuries.
Her family issued a statement saying they “would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for our daughter, Emily, and our family. We are thankful that Emily is in good condition and ask for privacy at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the other individual affected in this accident and their family, along with the emergency men and women who worked diligently to make sure Emily was safe.”
Fodness was trapped in the debris for about 3 hours. Her dog, Nova, was rescued from the building just moments before she herself was rescued.
The collapse happened around 10:30 a.m. local time near the corner of East 10th Street and South Phillips Avenue in Sioux Falls. Part of the Eastwold Smoke Shop building, which formerly housed the Copper Lounge, fell down into the street and parking lot. The building that collapsed Friday morning was being remodeled.