E-mail
PrintCLINTON, Mo. (AP) - A man who was missing since a three-story building partially collapsed in this west-central Missouri community Monday night was killed, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Tony Komer, 32, exalted ruler of the Clinton Elks Lodge, was among 10 people who were trapped when the century-old brick building collapsed around 7:30 p.m. Clinton Police Lt. Sonny Lynch said efforts have begun to recover Komer's body from the rubble.
Nine other people who were trapped when the building collapsed were rescued throughout early morning hours. The first emerged around 12:35 a.m., while the ninth was carried out around 5:30 a.m., officials said.
About 50 members of the Elks Club were finishing dinner on the second floor when the third floor collapsed. They had been scheduled to meet on the third floor at 8 p.m., where new members were to be initiated.
Komer had gone to the third floor to memorize a lengthy paragraph that he was to recite at the initiation, Lynch said.
Five of the people who were rescued were taken by ambulance to area hospitals, while the four others had to be airlifted. Officials said most injuries were consistent with being stuck in the debris, such as cuts and bruises. One of the victims suffered a crushed wrist and broken leg.
Lynch said part of the building that remained standing would have to be taken down before searchers could start trying to locate Komer's body amid the ruins.
Henry County Presiding Commissioner Greg Lowe, who was eating dinner in the building when it started to collapse, said he wasn't sure he was going to make it out alive.
"It started caving in," he said. "I went into the next building. The ceiling was falling in. I got to the front and we were going to jump, and then we found a staircase.
"It happened so fast," said Lowe, who had a cut on his head and knots and bruises on his legs from falling brick. "I don't know what in the hell would make the thing come down so fast. I figured I was history."
Lee Pierce, manager of the Elks Lodge, said she had just finished cooking for the gathering when the building began crumbling around her.
"I was standing there and literally the ceiling fell and everything fell into a hole," Pierce said. She said she was able to get out of the building unharmed, but lost her shoes in the process. "There wasn't anything to think about," she said. "It was just, get out."
About 200 emergency personnel were on the scene early Tuesday, including a specialized rescue team from Whiteman Air Force Base, crane operators and an urban search-and-rescue team. Rescuers were using camera and sound devices and canine rescue dogs in their efforts to get to those trapped inside.
Clinton Mayor Gus Wetzel said the collapse came at a time when the Elks Club was marking a milestone in the city.
"It's a sad time for us, a time of irony," Wetzel said. "This Elks Club was celebrating their 100th anniversary in our community."
The collapse occurred in the aging downtown of this community of about 9,500 people, upstairs from a men's clothing store, sandwiched between a law firm and a pharmacy.
Show Me the Errors 
Comments