Missing worker trapped in rubble of a New Orleans hotel collapse has been identified

The family of the New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel worker believed to be trapped underneath thousands of pounds of debris following the building’s Saturday collapse stood anxiously across the street from the disaster site overnight holding out hope that their loved one is still alive.

Authorities have identified Anthony Magrette, 49, as the lone missing person unaccounted for following the collapse of four floors of the hotel. Magrette is a father of four adult children and has four granddaughters, according to local sources.

He served as a stucco foreman at the hotel where he was putting in overtime Saturday night even though he wasn’t scheduled to work, according to WVUE-DT.

Magrette’s wife, Nova Espinoza remained across the street from the disaster scene Sunday as rescuers worked to find her husband.

Anthony Magrette, 49, is a stucco foreman at the Hard Rock Hotel that collapsed on Saturday as he was working there. He was working overtime at the hotel at the time of the collapse

Magrette is a married father to four adult children who also has five granddaughters

Magrette is a married father to four adult children who also has five granddaughters

Magrette is a married father to four adult children who also has five granddaughters

‘We don’t have much information now… I’m not leaving until they bring them out,’ she told NOLA.com of the rescuers and her husband.

Emergency responders in New Orleans are working carefully to find Magrette somewhere amid thousands of pounds of concrete and metal.

The building’s Saturday morning collapse killed at least two people while injuring another 20.

New Orleans Fire Chief Tim McConnell said officials are still approaching the effort as a search and rescue operation. They have assembled a 220 pound crane trucked into the city to lift and remove heavy concrete without risking Magrette’s life.

He said engineers are flying in, at least one from out of the country, to try to assess the best way to pick apart the debris.

‘Until we know differently we’ll stay in rescue mode,’ McConnell said. ‘Hopefully we get a rescue today.’ 

Mayor LaToya Cantrell told reported the rescue attempt ‘is going to be a long process’.

‘Search and rescue continues to remain our top priority at this time,’ Cantrell said during a Sunday morning press conference. ‘We have more engineers coming in as we speak. It’s not safe right now. The area is unstable right now. … We just want people to pay attention to any advisories that come from the Mayor’s Office of Communications.’

Video shows the moment that the top floors of the Hard Rock Cafe came crashing down onto Basin Street at around 9am in New Orleans

At least one person has been reported dead from the accident

Video shows the moment that the top floors of the Hard Rock Cafe came crashing down onto Basin Street at around 9am in New Orleans that left one dead

The hotel resides in the city’s downtown central hub where traffic and city transit was being diverted away from throughout the day on Sunday.

The hunt for Magrette was suspended over night due to safety concerns.

A statement from the project contractor said its representatives would work ‘throughout the night’ with emergency officials on a plan to stabilize the building.

‘I heard a huge noise and thought it was a plane crashing,’ said Sue Hurley, a 68-year-old guest at a hostel across the street that shuddered with the force of the collapse. Hurley said she was reminded of news accounts of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

This aerial photo shows the Hard Rock Hotel, which was under construction, after a fatal partial collapse in New Orleans

This aerial photo shows the Hard Rock Hotel, which was under construction, after a fatal partial collapse in New Orleans

The building mostly fell on Basin Street, located just outside of the French Quarter

The building mostly fell on Basin Street, located just outside of the French Quarter

Dramatic bystander video of upper floors falling on top of each other before one side of the building crashed to the street was aired on WWL-TV.

Another video on social media showed what looked like a metal structure – part of the building or a piece of construction equipment – tumbling to the ground and people running from the scene as clouds of dust billowed up, obscuring the view like a thick fog.

‘I’m not sure what happened, but they told us to get out of here,’ said Michael Arbeiter, 30, from Munich, Germany, a hostel guest who said he was just getting out of the shower when his room shook. ‘Thank God it was not another 9/11.’

Officials said 18 people were taken to the hospital and several others went to the hospital on their own. They said none of their injuries was believed to be life threatening.

Urban search and rescue teams entered a section of the building Saturday in hopes of finding two missing people alive, said Fire Chief Tim McConnell. Authorities later said one of the missing was dead.

It is not exactly known how the building collapsed

18 people have been taken to the hospital in unknown condition after suffering injuries in the collapse

It is not exactly known how the building collapsed. At least 20 people were injured and two are confirmed dead

The development was expected to be open in the spring. Debris can be seen falling off the building

The development was expected to be open in the spring. Debris can be seen falling off the building

Meanwhile, authorities were keeping a wary eye on the unstable crane looming over the building.

‘There is a very strong possibility of further collapse of this crane right now,’ McConnell said.

Citadel Builders LLC, the contractor on the project, said more than 100 workers were on site at the time of the collapse. An email from spokesman Brian Trascher said company officials were working with emergency workers on a plan to stabilize the building.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards visited the site and took part in news briefings soon after the collapse. The Democrat was defending his seat in a primary election Saturday that forced him into a runoff next month.

The new Hard Rock Hotel was under construction at the corner of Rampart Street and Canal Street, a broad boulevard just outside the Quarter that is lined with restaurants hotels and retailers. 

Canal, which carries six lanes of traffic divided by a wide median where streetcars roll, separates the Quarter from the city’s main business district.

Construction workers were said to have had to climb down ladders in order to get to safety

 Construction workers were said to have had to climb down ladders in order to get to safety

Three people are said to be missing from the scene

 Three people are said to be missing from the scene

As search and rescue efforts unfolded, police stood sentry around a group of people on the Canal Street median believed to be loved ones of the missing. A woman nearby said she was trying to find out the status of her brother, a worker at the site. She declined to give her name, wiping tears from her eyes as she walked away. 

Removal of the damaged crane and cleanup of massive piles of debris promised to be an enormous undertaking in the days ahead, expected to tie up traffic and commerce. Among area buildings evacuated was the Saenger Theatre, where traveling companies perform Broadway Shows regularly.

Hard Rock International issued a statement expressing sympathy for victims and their families. The statement said the company had a licensing agreement with the building’s owner, Kailas Companies, and Hard Rock had no involvement in the construction. It identified the contractor on the project as Citadel Builders LLC.

Citadel issued a statement expressing its condolences for the death and injuries but did not comment on a possible cause of the collapse.

A public relations firm issued a statement on behalf of 1031 Canal, a corporate entity identified as the developer of the project that lists the Kailas Companies’ Chandra Kailas as a principal. The statement said the developer would work with authorities and the contractor to determine what caused the collapse. 

A rescued construction worker makes his way down a ladder

A rescued construction worker makes his way down a ladder

Construction workers film the wreckage left behind after the building collapsed

Construction workers film the wreckage left behind after the building collapsed

Construction workers are helped by emergency personnel

Construction workers are helped by emergency personnel

Damage is seen after a portion of a Hard Rock Hotel under construction collapsed

Damage is seen after a portion of a Hard Rock Hotel under construction collapsed

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