Bridgeport marks 35 years since L’Ambiance Plaza collapse killed 28 workers

WSHU | By Davis Dunavin

Published April 22, 2022 at 5:14 PM EDT

This weekend marks 35 years since a 16-story building collapsed in Bridgeport, Connecticut, killing 28 construction workers.

The L’Ambiance Plaza collapsed while it was under construction on April 23, 1987. The building collapsed because of problems with its lift slab construction method.

Rescue workers searched the wreckage for days, and 22 workers were injured along with those who died. It’s the most deadly building collapse in the state’s history.

Bridgeport officials, labor leaders and families of victims led a procession to the spot, where a statue of a construction worker stands to mark the site.

State News

Davis Dunavin

Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He fell in love with sound-rich radio storytelling while working as an assistant reporter at KBIA public radio in Columbia, Missouri. Before coming back to radio, he worked in digital journalism as the editor of Newtown Patch. As a freelance reporter, his work for WSHU aired nationally on NPR. Davis is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism; he started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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