Six people were killed when a building being demolished collapsed Wednesday onto an the adjacent Salvation Army edifice on 22nd Street and Market in downtown Philadelphia, the Associated Press reported.
The six fatalities have been identified as Anne Bryan, Roseline Conteh, Barbor Davis, Kimberly Finnegan, Juanita Harmin and Mary Simpson. Bryan is Philadelphia Treasurer Nancy Winkler's daughter.
"Yesterday, our family suffered a devastating loss when our daughter, Anne Bryan, was taken from us," said Bryan's family in a statement. "Anne was a brilliant and caring young woman just entering the prime of her life. She was an incredibly kind and loving person and her death has left a hole in the hearts of all who knew her."
One of the 14 people who was pulled alive from the rubble, Nadine White, is seeking more than $50,000 in compensation. This is the first lawsuit filed since the accident. The court filing does not provide details of White's complaint, but a jury trial is requested, according to Business Week.
The cause of the collapse is being probed, Michael Nutter, Philadelphia's mayor, said in a statement.
"We will fully investigate this tragedy and get to the bottom of what happened, how, when and why," the mayor said. "We will determine further actions that must be taken to prevent such tragedies in the future."
Richard Basciano of New York and Griffin T. Campbell of Philadelphia are also named as defendants and thus, the case is named White v. Basciano, 000987, Court of Common Please of Philadelphia County.
Meanwhile, rescue workers ended their search for survivors on Thursday, Chicago Tribune reported
Late Wednesday, a 61-year-old woman was pulled from the debris and rushed to the hospital, and is in critical condition.
"All of the despair with the people who were deceased, that person being pulled out alive is what every rescue is all about," Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said on Thursday.
