City officials announced on Monday morning that the remains of two ironworkers have been found in the debris of a partially collapsed parking garage in Philadelphia. The tragic incident occurred last Wednesday.
These two individuals, along with a third ironworker who was rescued from the wreckage shortly after the collapse but later succumbed to his injuries, were all part of the Ironworkers 401 union and the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades. During a news conference, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker expressed her condolences, stating, “To the men and women of Local 401 and to every member of the Philadelphia Building Trades, know that Philadelphia shares in your sorrow, prays for you, and stands in solidarity with you.”
The identities of the three men have not yet been disclosed to the public.
It has been reported that the parking garage was under construction for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (Source: WTXF)
The garage was under construction for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a report said. (WTXF)
The parking garage, near 30th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue in South Philadelphia, was under construction at the time of the collapse.
Search and rescue teams pulled one man from the rubble at the time, though he died of his injuries at a hospital later that day. The two others initially remained missing.
A parking garage in Philadelphia suffered a partial collapse on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (WTXF)
The search-and-rescue operation, however, turned into a recovery after search teams determined the two missing individuals had died.
Fire Commissioner Jeffery Thompson said the bodies of the two men were in a stairwell, which he described as a unique architectural feature of the garage.
Technicians and other personnel used various tools to take apart, piece by piece, the area where the bodies were, using shovels, buckets and their own hands, Thompson said, adding that a human remains detection K-9 was also used to find the men.
Cracks are seen on the side of a parking garage in Philadelphia on Thursday, April 9, 2026, following a partial collapse the day before. (WTXF)
The chief said crews had to demolish what remained of the parking garage structure to make the site safe enough during the recovery operation.
Parker said a medical examiner was working to determine the cause and manner of their deaths.
The mayor also vowed to get to the bottom of what led to the partial collapse of the parking garage, saying there will be a full, comprehensive and independent investigation.
“We should continue to keep the families and all of the loved ones in prayers,” Parker said. “And we want God to bless the three souls and everyone who has been impacted by this tragedy.”
<!–>
–>
