2 missing workers presumed dead after parking garage collapse in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighborhood

The two construction workers who went missing after a parking garage in Grays Ferry partially collapsed are presumed dead, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said Thursday night. 

Parker said all three workers who died were members of Ironworkers Union Local 401. One of the workers was pronounced dead at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on Wednesday after the partial collapse on the 3000 block of Grays Ferry Avenue. Two other people were rescued from the collapse and treated and released from the hospital. 

Parker said city agencies have notified the families of the workers who died in the collapse. The workers have yet to be publicly identified.

"We stand resolutely with every member of the Local 401 family and the Philadelphia Building Trades during this very difficult time," Parker said. 

The collapse at the parking garage under construction, which is owned by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, happened at around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. The collapse started during the installation of precast concrete sections, when one section failed and triggered a chain reaction. A video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows the moment it happened. 

Parker said city crews have been working around the clock since the tragic incident. 

On Thursday, four FEMA-certified dogs searched the site of the collapse, but found no signs of life. Robots and drones from the Philadelphia Police Department and Fire Department were also sent to search the site, but they were unsuccessful. 

Parker said that's when the city switched the objective from a rescue mission to a recovery operation. A demolition is set to begin Friday in order to bring the collapsed parking garage lower, which will make it safer for rescue teams to find the human remains of the workers who are presumed dead, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said. 

Parker said that city crews are notifying neighbors in Grays Ferry around the collapse site about what to expect for the demolition.

"Right now, Philadelphia, it's important for us to affirm together in a manner that's fitting for each of us to send our prayers with the families who have been impacted," Parker said. "The family of the individual who has passed and also the family of the two people are presumed deceased."

Initially, Thompson said they planned to deconstruct the partially collapsed parking garage piece by piece to rescue the workers who are now presumed dead. But that changed once engineers detected severe movement at the collapsed garage, which means it could collapse at any moment.

"The building was so unstable that strategy required us to put a crane very close to the building, and the crane operator would then be in the collapse zone, and we did not want to put anyone else in harm's way," Thompson said.

The city even brought in additional engineers to inspect the site and get a second opinion on how to approach the operation. Thompson said the second group of engineers agreed it was too dangerous for the initial plan and recommended demolishing the site.

"It is our hope and our goal to safely bring this tragic, unfortunate incident to a conclusion tomorrow," Thompson said.

Grays Ferry Avenue from 29th to 33rd streets remains closed, and will be closed until it's determined it's safe for the public to return to the area. The shopping center across the street from the collapsed garage is also still closed.

Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Philadelphia Fire Department, Philadelphia Police Department and L&I, will be on the scene of the collapse until the investigation is completed.

Parker emphasized again on Thursday night that CHOP leadership has been cooperating with the investigation into the collapse. Updates on the collapse will be posted on the city of Philadelphia's website.

"We're going to get to the damn bottom about what happened here," Parker said.