Houston bldg collapse leaves three dead

HOUSTON, Oct 06 (Xinhua): A stairwell collapse in the southern U.S. city of Houston left three people dead and another injured on Monday, local officials said.

Local media reported that the construction site where the collapse happened is located in west Houston.

According to the Houston Fire Department (HFD), the collapse began in the building's stairwell near the 13th and 14th floor, and the stairwell fell all the way to the first floor.

HFP confirmed the fatalities due to the collapse and that the injured worker was transported to a nearby hospital and remained in stable condition.

HFD Assistant Chief Ruy Lozano said there were 240 construction workers on the site at the time of the collapse.

Firefighters and engineers are on the scene. Lozano said the building was unstable for them to dig inside and that engineers are evaluating when it'll be safe to begin recovering the three deceased victims.