Residents were evacuated from multiple buildings in a busy city center following reports of a structure collapse that caused an earthquake-like sensation.
The incident occurred in Manchester’s city center near Bridge Street, where a section of a tower block collapsed unexpectedly, leading to emergency response and evacuations of nearby premises.
A local witness described feeling a strong earthquake-like tremor before authorities arrived and cleared the area. Bruntwood SciTech, the developers of the site, acknowledged the partial collapse at Alberton House, which was undergoing demolition, reassuring that safety protocols were followed, and there was no danger to the public or neighboring structures.
The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation stated no injuries were reported in the incident and cautioned against premature conclusions about the cause, emphasizing that properly constructed scaffolding should not fail.
The Health and Safety Executive confirmed they are monitoring the situation in Manchester and staying in contact with emergency services. Demolition activities continued at the site, although the exact cause of the collapse remains unclear.
The development project at the collapse site was intended for “The Alberton,” managed by property company Bruntwood, planning to construct an 18-storey office building with a rooftop pool.
Alberton House, the building that partially collapsed, is situated in Manchester’s city center near St Mary’s Parsonage. Witnesses observed one side of the structure crumbling, causing scaffolding to fall towards the River Irwell.
George Jones, the owner of Cardinal House adjacent to the incident site, recounted the evacuation of around 500 individuals due to safety concerns following the collapse, likening the experience to an earthquake.
Scaffolding has collapsed towards street level
Images from the scene depicted the aftermath of the building collapse, showing the structure folding over with scaffolding descending towards street level.
Pictures show the building having folded in the collapse
Emergency services, including the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, responded to the scene promptly, with no reported injuries. The incident involved a building scheduled for demolition where scaffolding partially collapsed.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of <a data-testid="cipa-cookie-notice-link" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/cookie-policy/" rel="n
