The cranes at the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans to be demolished

A week after Hard Rock Casino Hotel collapse, authorities decided to blow 2 damaged cranes that still lie in the construction site.

The project that was located in New Orleans and was under construction for about a year, experienced a partial failure that resulted in 2 fatalities on October 12, 2019. 

Engineers and U.S Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors entered the damaged building for the first time on October 16, 2019. Given the current condition of the structure, even inspection operations are dangerous. Authorities have also started removing the debris from the affected area.

A worker is still considered missing as his body has not been retrieved from the scene. Officials stated that it is very unlikely that he survived.

Currently, two massive cranes are prone to collapse, therefore, officials decided to bring them down.

The operation will be conducted on Saturday, October 19, 2019, as authorities are worried about a tropical storm that may hit the city. High winds would cause severe instability issues to the cranes that are already in danger of collapse. Attempts to stabilize them have been conducted but the cranes have been experiencing displacements since the building's failure.

The demolition will be conducted with the usage of explosives placed in key locations. The ultimate aim of the operation is to send debris in a small area around the collapsed building and to avoid causing damage in power or gas lines and nearby buildings. "I cannot express how urgent that is. The last thing you want is for these (cranes) to decide where they're going to fall as opposed to us dictating that," Timothy McConnell, New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent, commented.

Lawsuits have been filled by 10 people who were injured from the falling debris during the failure. The construction companies are accused of not being able to plan, evaluate and monitor the condition of the hotel. The lawsuits also claim that the building's framework was not capable of supporting the weight of the upper floors (where the failure occurred).

A private memorial ceremony was held on Friday morning for the people that were killed during the building's collapse.