NSW: Engineers trying to push shattered Hilton window inward

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2008
NSW: Engineers trying to push shattered Hilton window inward

SYDNEY, Dec 23 AAP - Engineers are trying to push a shattered window on the 34th floor
of Sydney's Hilton Hotel inwards, to stop it crashing to the street below.

Police closed off a section of Pitt Street between Market and Park Streets in Sydney's
CBD soon after 7am (AEDT) on Tuesday morning to ensure public safety, a spokeswoman for
the hotel told AAP.

She said she was unsure how the 2m x 2m glass panel had shattered, but a protective
coating was holding it in place.

A crew of structural engineers have descended down the face of the building in a gantry
to push the window into the room.

Pedestrians are being diverted to nearby George and Castlereagh streets and police
are unsure when the road will reopen.

The closure of Pitt St has also affected the city's monorail, with the operator Veolia
Transport having to cancel services.

"We got a call from police ... to say that we needed to stop operating," a Veolia spokeswoman
told AAP.

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KEYWORD: PANE SECOND UPDATE

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