One dead, Myanmar firefighters rescue 3, after construction site accident

Myanmar Fire Services Department personnel clears debris after a construction building collapsed in East Dagon Township, Yangon, Myanmar October 15, 2021 in this still image obtained from a social media video. Courtesy MYANMAR FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT/via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Firefighters in Myanmar pulled the body of a construction worker from a collapsed building site in the city of Yangon on Friday and were searching for seven other workers after rescuing three of their colleagues.

Local fire department chief Thein Tun Oo said the rescue mission was at a critical stage, with the chances of finding the remaining workers alive getting slimmer by the hour.

"I cannot hear any sounds," he said by phone. "There is less chance of survival for the rest."

Video streamed live on Facebook showed firefighters operating heavy machinery to try to shift lumps of concrete and mangled metal to enable rescue teams to search for the missing construction workers.

The accident at the commercial building site appeared to have occurred while 11 workers were laying a concrete slab, Thein Tun Oo said.

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Jane Wardell)