Worker dies after collapse during Flagship Hotel demo

GALVESTON, TX The Galveston Co. Medical Examiner's Office confirms the man died Wednesday. His name has not yet been released.

At around 3:40pm Tuesday, the collapse was reported on the north end of the structure. Approximately 75 percent of the second floor area being worked on fell down to the first floor area.

According to Galveston spokesperson Alicia Cahill, one worker was trapped in the debris and had to be rescued by firefighters using the Jaws of Life. The man was pinned beneath about 1,000 pounds of concrete and rebar. The rescue took about 20 minutes.

The worker was taken by ambulance to John Sealy Hospital. All other workers are accounted for.

The Flagship Hotel has been undergoing demolition for months -- a slow dismantling of the 45-year-old hotel to make way for the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, owned and run by Landry's. The hotel suffered extensive damage in Hurricane Ike and hadn't been operational since then.

The demolition, which was in the final stages, has been stopped for an investigation.