AT least one person has been killed after the roof of a Family Dollar store collapsed.
Three people were injured as the chaos unfolded at the discount store in Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday afternoon.
A man, 68, named locally as Larry Banks, was killed, while a woman, 50, was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition.
Mike Hopkins, the Kansas City Fire Department Battalion Chief, told reporters the man may have been just walking near the building when its roof collapsed.
Two others were hospitalized before being released.
Pictures from the scene show debris in front of the Family Dollar store.
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Locals told the Fox affiliate KSHB-TV that they helped pull people out of the rubble.
Authorities had received a report that the building had been “slowly tilting” just days before the horror unfolded.
Locals told the Kansas City Star they had been inside the Family Dollar store just moments before the roof collapsed.
Kristel Smith said she thought something wasn’t right when she was inside the shop.
Smith was visiting her mom, who lived in a nearby apartment complex, and her five-year-old child told her the store’s roof had collapsed.
“I ran downstairs instantly and I was praying it wasn’t a worker,” she told the outlet.
Ciara Brown and her partner were among who rushed to try and save Banks.
Brown said she heard screams coming from the injured woman.
A Family Dollar representative said they had been left deeply saddened at what happened.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with those impacted. We are conducting wellness checks with our employees and offering them resources and assistance,” they told People.
The spokesperson confirmed that an internal probe has since been launched.
Fire crews have not confirmed when the building was last inspected.
There are more than 7,000 Family Dollar stores in the US.
More than 1,000 of which are located in Texas.
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In March, it was reported that Family Dollar would be sold by Dollar Tree in a deal worth $1 billion.
The chair of Family Dollar, Duncan MacNaughton, said the deal provided an opportunity for the budget-friendly retailer to “return to its roots.”
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