European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 9, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday july 9, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 at least 8 killed in Texas when Rains cause roof Wall to collapse in store Brownsville Texas a Athree Story department store crowded with people seeking shelter from Torren tial Rains collapsed thursday killing at least eight people injuring More than 40and trapping others in the rubble authorities said. It looks real bad Cameron count sheriff Alex Perez said of the scene in the downtown area of this City across Therio Grande from Matamoros Mexico. It s a disaster. It was just like a bomb hit that Corner store  the roof and front Wall of la Tienda Amigo known As the Amigo store caved in at about 2 20 . Cd. Emergency Crews using portable lights continued into the night digging through Mounds of broken cinder blocks Glass twisted steel and merchandise to pull out survivor Sand look for victims. They thought they heard some voice Sand that s where they re digging now City spokeswoman  Downing said about 10p.m. Rescuers Cut through a Wall inside a Woolworth s store next door to reach some of those trapped. Witnesses said they heard screams from the  and clothing blown from the store by High winds were being used to wrap the wounds of the injured. Police sgt. Dean Poos said shortly after 7 . That we Don t really think there Are going to be any More live peo ple coming out of  ambulances and Rescue personnel were hampered in reaching the scene by floodwaters from the downpour. Steve spectators examine the wreckage of an Auto smashed by falling debris from a store that collapsed in Brownsville Texas. A photo Fitzgibbons acting assistant City manager said some local businesses had volunteered front end loaders and cranes to help. The National weather service said the collapse could have been caused by the weight of the Rainwater which dumped More than 2 inches in less than 30 min utes. The store was half a Block from the International Bridge and sheriffs it. Johnny Castillo said that when the storm began a Large number of mexican nationals were running there to get out of the rain. The store was  Poos said store owner Bernard Levin told him that when the roof collapsed he jumped under a table and All he knows is that when everything settled he looked up and there was Blue sky above  Levine said he escaped with three employees and three customers. Poos said six bodies had been re moved from the rubble and identified and Johnny Economedes head of on Rescue team said workers had found two More bodies. They be got two steel beams across them and about 20 or 30 tons of con Crete on them Economedes said. Poos said eight people were admitted to hospitals and another 34 were treated at three hospitals in Brownsville an nearby san Benito. Authorities said they could Only guess at the number of people who might have been trapped inside. Poo estimated it would be no More than 50 and Castillo speculated it could be a Many As 125. Poos said the dead included a woman who was apparently crushed As she sat in a car with mexican License plates in front of the building. Two others were killed As they stood under a canopy in front of the store. All of a sudden i hear a noise kind of like a Boom and i was looking directly at the store and i see this Tan coloured Sandy coloured Wall that filled the whole front of the store said an Thony Padilla a Brownsville Herald photographer who was shooting weather photos in front of the store when the roof collapsed. An unidentified rescuer carries away an injured woman from the Amigo store. Workers dug through the night seeking survivors in the pile of rubble. A photo