A collapsed wall has killed five workers at a recycling plant in Birmingham.

The incident occurred at the Hawkeswood Metal Recycling site in Aston Church Road in Birmingham’s Nechells area.

The wall, which comprised of concrete blocks that weighed around 1.5 tonnes each, was four metres high and when the structure gave way, the men were crushed, according to West Midlands Police Detective Superintendent, Mark Payne.

At 8.43am on the morning of Thursday, July 7, the West Midlands Fire Service received a call for assistance from the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) and reached the scene in less than five minutes.

In a statement from the fire service, it stated: “On our arrival it was clear that a large concrete structure containing metal had collapsed, trapping a number of people.

“Very sadly, five people were pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor. One other person who was seriously injured was taken to hospital by the ambulance service.”

Cutting equipment and cranes were used to recover the bodies, while the Health & Safety Executive was also on the scene with a structural engineer.

Gary Taylor, Assistant Chief Fire Officer at the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said that the incident is devastating for everyone involved, adding that their deepest sympathies and thoughts are with the families and colleagues of the victims.

He added that once the police have concluded their first examinations of the scene, the priority of the fire service will be to make sure that the bodies of the victims are recovered in the safest and quickest possible way, along with the utmost respect and dignity.

Mr Taylor also commented: “The scene is an extremely challenging one, involving significant tonnage of concrete and metal and a structure that is still unstable. We have an assertive recovery plan in place and expect this operation to take several hours.”