SEATTLE (AP) — A pier along Seattle’s waterfront partially collapsed Sunday as crews were demolishing portions of it, injuring two workers.
The Seattle Times reports that Pier 58, the structure supporting a park between the Seattle Aquarium and a ferris wheel, gave way roughly a month after officials discovered it had moved several inches away from the land.
Five workers were on the pier when it began to give way, said Marshall Foster, director of the city of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront. A monitoring system triggered alarms and the workers evacuated, but not before two men fell into the water. Both were rescued by on-site safety staff.
The Seattle Fire Department transported the two injured workers to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.
Foster said initial inspections revealed no damage to the aquarium or the Seattle seawall.
Last month, officials decided to accelerate the removal of the pier, which was slated for removal in 2022 as part of the redesign of the Seattle waterfront.