Central London Building Collapses

[Neko Bazu]

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6746017.stm

Part of a four-storey building has collapsed just 100 yards from New Scotland Yard in central London.

The emergency services were called to Dean Farrar Street in Westminster at about 1600 BST on Tuesday.

A BBC reporter at the scene said the whole top floor of the building had been blown away and eyewitnesses say they heard an explosion.

Two urban search and rescue vehicles have been sent to the scene to search for possible casualties.

London Ambulance said there were reports of one casualty at the building which was said to be undergoing renovation.

Eyewitness Barshan Ganwari said he heard a "huge noise" or "a blast" and saw "people running away" from the scene.

Still 'breaking news', so expect the news page to be updated fairly soon.

[gt]

Blimey, hope it wasn't intentional And obviously hope people involved are ok

[Ninja Squirrel]

I've been all day!!!

Hopefully a structual problem(in astrange way its not good that people died but you know?....no you don't ) and not a terrorist attack I don't think the racial divide could do with it as its tense enough .

[Katiekins]

Oh god!

[ITFC Dudette6]

[CHOPPER READ]

Fookin ackers. London is toppling.

[Billy]

apparently the building was undergoing some renovation work - but there werer also reports of a large bang/explosion

[GeoFox]

The top floors of the building were under renovation and thats the bit that has collapsed so I suspect its structural.

[Billy]

Just one question though.
How do eyewitnesses hear an explosion
Surely they would have to be ear witnesses?

[CHOPPER READ]

Could be services going up,not forced to be terror or similar.

[CHOPPER READ]

Perhaps eyes witnessed other eyes with that "What the fook was that?" look in their eyes.

bbl said:

Just one question though.
How do eyewitnesses hear an explosion
Surely they would have to be ear witnesses?

[Fizzy Bread]

Sounds like there might've been an 'implosion'

[CHOPPER READ]

In thirteen the beast is rising......

[CHOPPER READ]

One in hospital with minor injuries.

[Neko Bazu]

Latest:

Part of a five-storey building housing the central London campaign office of Labour deputy leadership candidate Hazel Blears has collapsed.

The emergency services were called to Dean Farrar Street in Westminster at 1604 BST on Tuesday.

A London Fire Service spokesman said the top two floors of the building had collapsed and one person was being treated in hospital for minor injuries.

A spokesman for Ms Blears said none of her staff had been hurt.

Ms Blears and six other MPs spent several hours in the offices on the fourth and fifth floor at lunchtime today, he added.

Six fire engines, 50 firefighters and two urban search and rescue vehicles are at the scene.

Eyewitness Anthony Gilberthorpe told BBC News 24: "It happened just so very quick one didn't know what to do.

"I heard a mighty explosion and about two floors and the roof of a building to my left hand side was literally showering down in front of me.

"So I literally threw myself, literally jumped up and threw myself, to the right hand side of the road not knowing whether I was going to be hit."

Mr Gilberthorpe saw a van driver step out of his vehicle moments before it was hit by a huge piece of debris.

"What I did see which was quite shocking was a huge boulder went right through his vehicle, literally where he had been 15 seconds previously and I think that's the most frightening thing that I actually witnessed.

There were six of Ms Blears campaign volunteers in the offices at the time of the collapse.

One of them, Sean Newman, said: "Some of us who were upstairs felt the building shake.

Map of location of building collapse

"Then we heard the alarm go off and left our stuff to go downstairs. It was a calm evacuation, but they would not let us go back in."

He estimated that there were around 50 businesses based in the premises.

Justin Linger was also working in the building at the time of the collapse.

"I was just sitting in the office when all of a sudden the whole building shook," he told BBC News 24.

"As one of my colleagues put it, the building disco danced."

He said the floors affected were undergoing renovation.

They've got an 'in pictures' area too, here:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6746115.stm

though there's only two pics (at time of writing). Sounds like it's a structural thing, at least - but then it still doesn't explain the explosion, unless a gas pipe blew or it was the sound of the structure giving way, coupled with a little exaggeration.

Is it just coincidence that it was Hazel Blear's office building though? (I should totally work for a tabloid, being able to spin it like that )