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N.Y. Apartment Building Collapse Kills 3, Injures 8

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<i> From Associated Press</i>

An outside wall of a six-story Harlem apartment building peeled away and collapsed Tuesday, spilling tenants and their belongings into a pile of bricks and rubble. Three people were killed and eight were injured.

At least 30 emergency workers and 100 firefighters rushed to the 72-unit building and began picking through the fallen bricks to look for victims. Police dogs sniffed through the wreckage.

Officials had no explanation for why the wall collapsed.

The 1920s-era building had been cited in recent years for elevator violations, but records showed no complaints about structural damage, city officials said.

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The building’s owner, Mt. Wilson Realty, temporarily disconnected its phone, according to a recorded message.

The floors of the exposed apartments tilted down 30 degrees, dumping occupants and their belongings into an alley.

The building resembled a ramshackle dollhouse, with unmade beds, radiators and furniture slanting at precarious angles.

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