George Jackson
The top two storeys of a three storey terrace building in Derry collapsed suddenly at lunchtime yesterday. The building, at Kennedy Place in the city’s Fountain Estate, was formerly the local headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party and before that a synagogue.
Rubble crashed onto a car parked outside the terrace row building completely crushing the vehicle.
Members of the emergency services rushed to the scene but no-one was injured in the incident. Directly across the road from the collapsed building is the Foyle Daycare Creche which closed following the crash.
Local residents said the building had been derelict for over twelve years and had been earmarked for demolition.
It’s believed the building is owned by a housing association and that next Monday it was due to have been re-painted as part of a spruce-up operation targeting derelict buildings in the Fountain Estate.