Worker dies after building gives way, trapping him

A worker died Thursday after a Chicago building partially collapsed, trapping him beneath debris before firefighters freed him, fire officials said.

Three workers were in the three-story building when a portion of the structure collapsed in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood about 11 a.m. When fire crews arrived, one of the workers was still unaccounted for, the Chicago Fire Department said.

Firefighters found that worker under debris about 30 minutes later. Deputy Chief Shaun Hayes told reporters at the scene that the worker was trapped under three to five feet of debris.

He was removed from the debris just before noon and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in "grave condition," fire officials said. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Officials have not yet determined the cause of the collapse.

Julius Hall, 43, who lives a block away from the scene told the Chicago Sun-Times that crews had been working on the building since the summer.

Footage from television stations showed a large hole in the side of the building with bricks, cinder blocks, wood and other debris in piles next to and inside the structure.