Office building collapses in central London

The top two floors of an office building under refurbishment next to Metropolitan Police headquarters in central London collapsed yesterday.

Police said one man was trapped in the rubble but that rescue workers had been talking to him. Everyone else who had been in the building was uninjured and accounted for.

"We have established that everyone who was in the building has been accounted for. That includes one person who remains trapped in the building who is speaking to members of the London Fire Brigade," Commander Steve Allen told reporters.

"Currently all efforts are concentrated on forming a plan to safely rescue him," he added, noting that the building was not in use and those inside had been carrying out the renovation.

The ambulance service said they had treated one person with minor injuries.

The cause of the collapse was unknown, but Commander Allen rejected speculation that there might have been an explosion.