Two dead as Hard Rock Hotel collapses while under construction in New Orleans

Two people have died and others are unaccounted for after a large section of an under-construction Hard Rock Hotel collapsed in New Orleans.

Video shows people on the ground desperately running away as the new building starts to crumble.

A section of the facade peels off and plunges onto the street.

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

It is not yet known what caused the incident in the city's famed French Quarter.

As the collapse begins, one person was just two storeys below the tumbling concrete. In the video, they are seen running for their life away from the collapsing edge. The condition of the person is unknown.

Rescue workers have been searching rubble.

A 270-ft construction crane - one of two still looming over the multistory building - is dangerously unstable, officials from the fire department have said.

The hotel has been under construction for several months.

It was scheduled to open in the spring.