NEW YORK, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A woman was extricated from debris over four hours after a seven-story building collapsed in a town north of New York City on Monday.
The woman is "conscious and alert," Rob Rolison, mayor of City of Poughkeepsie, about two hours drive north of New York City, told local media.
Her lower body got trapped under heavy debris following a structural collapse of a vacant building at 19 Academy St. in Poughkeepsie earlier Monday, according to Rolison.
The initial collapse of the building occurred around 4:04 p.m.(2004 GMT), and debris fell onto 15 and 17 Academy St., which are occupied, mixed-use (residential and commercial) buildings. The collapse then caused a partial collapse of the roof of 17 Academy St., local police said.
The initial collapse was likely caused by thunderstorms in the area, Rolison said. The storm produced gusts exceeding 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Surrounding buildings were evacuated Monday evening due to forecast of high winds, Rolison said.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday night released a statement praising the relief efforts.
The seven-story building at 19 Academy St. that initially collapsed was built in 1911 as part of businessman Manning Cleveland's plan to bring skyscrapers to the city.
The building had hosted multiple businesses in the past century. In recent years, many developers had plans to revitalize the property, but none had come to fruition.
