Updates on Thursday 7 July 2016
Andrew Dawkins
BBC News Online
I spoke to Dantra Sillah earlier outside the recyling plant and he thinks his cousin is one of the five workers who died there this morning.
He said all of the deceased were from different families but knew each other through mosques.
“We were very happy yesterday [Eid celebrations]. It is very sad. We don’t have any clear information."
The fire service says it's working alongside other emergency services "to recover bodies as soon as possible in a dignified way".
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Rob Mayor
Black Country Political Reporter, BBC WM
At around 08:45 this morning a 15ft wall comprised of five or six concrete blocks weighting 1.5 tonnes each and holding a substantial amount of scrap metal fell on men.
Five were killed and one was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries.
Police say the men are of African descent. A 20-strong group has gathered outside - one man told me he was awaiting news of a family friend.
Emergency vehicles line the roads outside this recycling centre. In the past hour, a fire service mechanical digger entered the site.
Emergency services say it is now a recovery operation and it will last several hours.
Aerial footage shows emergency crews at the site of a wall collapse that has killed five men.
A specialist rescue unit and heavy lifting equipment have been deployed to the recycling plant where five workers have died.
A West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson says it will take "several hours" to recover the bodies of the deceased as they are dealing with a "challenging scene" where the "structure is still "unstable".
Image source, Andrew DawkinsThe Prime Minister says he's "shocked" by the death of five metal workers in Birmingham.
David Cameron tweets...
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BBC WM
We spoke to one man who is waiting outside the entrance of the recycling plant. He says he's been unable to contact his cousin after the fatal accident.
He said: "A few of us have tried his number but there is no answer. We are very anxious.”
Andrew Dawkins
BBC News Online
I am stood outside a cordon close to an industrial unit and I can a major incident support unit.
There are four ambulance vehicles and two police cars parked on Aston Church Road.
About a dozen people stand near the cordon and are trying to find out what has gone on.
Image source, Andrew DawkinsHere's Det Supt Mark Payne on the work to locate the bodies - an operation estimated to last for the rest of the day.
Work to recover bodies in Birmingham after wall collapses at recycling plant
The five men who died at a Nechells recycling plant are believed to be from Africa.
Det Supt Mark Payne of West Midlands Police said trained officers were working with the families of the deceased.
Labour MP for Ladywood, Shabana Mahmood, says: "This is devastating news for the families of those killed and my thoughts and prayers go out to them.
"Nothing will bring their loved ones back but the families of those who have been killed will want answers, they will want to understand what has happened here."
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George Wood, who works at a transport company opposite the plant, said: "We've just heard there's been five people killed and they got crushed.
Several other people have also gathered near the entrance and say they're waiting for news of family members who work there.
One of the workers at the site says he's "shocked" by what's happened. He took this photo:
Image source, SlaffSlav Angiyu, a truck driver, was on the Hawkeswood recycling site when a concrete wall collapsed on five men but he did not witness it.
"The guys came over and said something had happened and we had to abandon the site," he said.
"My heart goes out to the families of the victims," he added.
A 'thorough investigation' is under way and it is, according to West Midlands Police, a 'traumatic process'.
Employees at the site where five men died this morning have been described as "very upset". A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said it "was a very difficult scene to work with".
He added: "We've had to bring in heavy lifting equipment. There are a number of hazards we've got to resolve. It's very hazardous. There are a number of dangers and we are working to mitigate them."
The five dead men who died at the metal recycling centre have been confirmed by police as "workers".
The men who died were "crushed", Det Supt Mark Payne said in his press conference a moment ago.
A recycling plant where five men have died in a wall collapse was engulfed in a huge fire earlier this year.
Det Supt Mark Payne said: "It was a huge concrete wall and there is no evidence to suggest it was weakened by that fire".
Image source, Andrew DawkinsA "huge" wall comprised of "concrete blocks", estimated to weigh about 1.5 tonnes each, collapsed on the men, says Det Supt Mark Payne of West Midlands Police.
It was bearing scrap metal which also fell on them after the wall gave way.
“It’s a difficult and complex scene,” he said, estimating the wall to be 12 to 15ft high.
