LOOK: One killed, 3 missing after hotel collapse in New Orleans

New Orleans — A Hard Rock Hotel under construction at the edge of New Orleans' historic French Quarter collapsed Saturday morning, leaving at least one person dead and three unaccounted for, authorities said.

City officials and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards confirmed the death.

The building was under construction at the corner of Rampart Street and Canal Street, a broad boulevard just outside the Quarter, lined with restaurants hotels and retailers. Canal, which carries six lanes of traffic divided by a wide median where streetcars roll, separates the Quarter from the city's main business district.

A video on social media was taken by someone aboard one of the city's famous streetcars as it approached the site while the building was collapsing.

Hard Rock Hotel New Orleans under construction collapses; multiple injuries reported

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It showed what looked like a metal structure — part of the building or a piece of construction equipment — tumbling to the ground and people running from the scene as clouds of dust billowed up and around the streetcar, obscuring the view like a thick fog.

Authorities say 18 people were taken to a hospital for treatment. All were considered stable.

Edwards urged people to stay away from the area, which was still considered unstable. An unsupported crane listed away from the building site. As dust settled following the morning collapse, twisted metal, concrete pilings and other wreckage covered part of Rampart Street.

"It was a deep rumbling sound," Matt Worges, who saw the collapse from a nearby building said.

AP