Houston firefighters have discovered a body in the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Southeast Houston

By Michelle Homer / KHOU.com
HOUSTON -- Houston firefighters have discovered a body in the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Southeast Houston. Two injured victims were pulled out by rescue crews. Two other injured victims were pulled out by rescue workers.

The two-story complex near I-45 and Griggs was in the process of being refurbished into low income housing when it collapsed Tuesday afternoon.

"One of the buildings has pancaked and fallen," said Asst. Fire Chief Tommy Dowdy.

He said they spotted the victim's body just after 5 p.m.

Rescue crews are now working to confirm there is no one else still trapped in the rubble.

Fire crews used cameras to search through the piles of wood.
Initial reports said as many as seven people could be buried in the piles of debris. Dowdy later said they believe everyone else has been accounted for. They conducted a search and found no other people.

"We have conducted the search and marked the areas that were searched with paint," Dowdy said.

There was some confusion at the scene because some members of the construction crew spoke only Spanish.

Dowdy said HFD rescue crews underwent additional training for building collapses and bought special equipment after 9/11 including cameras, which helped in the search.

Both of the injured victims were taken to area hospitals.

Their conditions are unknown.

Dowdy said it's too early to speculate about the cause of the collapse.

LINK FOR UPDATES HERE