Search resumes for trapped London builders

The search is resuming for a group of builders feared trapped after a three-storey building collapsed in London yesterday.

The search is resuming for a group of builders feared trapped after a three-storey building collapsed in London yesterday.

Rescue crews have been using heavy-lifting gear and specialist listening equipment on the operation in White Hart Lane, north London.

The operation was suspended in the early hours of the night after advice from surveyors and the Health and Safety Executive.

It is feared up to five builders, all Turkish, are still missing.

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Four people were injured when the building crashed to the ground, close to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club's stadium.

The injured, including a couple with a baby girl, were rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital where they were treated for minor injuries.

A firm of builders had been knocking down a separating wall to turn the ground-floor shops, both closed for business, into one property.

A massive search operation was launched with 30 rescue workers equipped with thermal-imaging and sound-detecting devices and a new "snake-eye" video probe, often used in earthquakes.

Spokesman Mr Derek Thorpe said: "One of the builders went through the shop to the back to get changed into overalls when the collapse occurred.

"The builder thought there were approximately five people in the shop as he passed through, although he can't be sure."

PA