Rescuers released the builder from the wreckage of Queen's Gate Building at 1.30am last night
A builder trapped in the wreckage of a collapsed building in central London has been freed.
The top two floors of the five-storey building on Dean Farrar Street in Westminster collapsed onto the third floor at about 4pm yesterday.
The man, believed to be a Romanian carrying out renovation works at the time of the collapse, was trapped in the building until the fire service freed him at about 1.30am this morning. The man was fully conscious at all times and in physical contact with rescuers shortly after the incident. Police said a representative from the contractor was in continuous contact with him.
The building houses the office of deputy Labour leadership candidate Hazel Blears, but none of her staff were injured by the collapse.
In spite of eyewitness reports of a loud bang before the building collapsed, Commander Steve Allen of Westminster police said there was “no evidence it was caused by anything other than structural collapse.”
The Health and Safety Executive has now launched an inquiry into the cause of the collapse.
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