PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A construction worker was rushed to the hospital this afternoon after his right leg was nearly cut off at a work site on the edge of Independence Mall.  Two other workers were also injured and taken to local hospitals.

Emergency dispatchers say the accident happened just after 1pm at the Lafayette Building at 5th and Chestnut Streets, where the former office building is being converted into a hotel.

One 47-year-old worker was rushed to Jefferson University Medical Center.  Dispatchers say his leg was amputed nearly 90 percent through.

The man’s condition was not otherwise revealed, and it was not immediately known whether there was any chance of reattaching the leg.

Officials say the accident happened when a support column holding a portion of the façade collapsed at the site, where a the “Landmark Ritz” hotel is under construction inside the Lafayette Building.

City officials temporarily halted work in the area where the accident occurred.  Work in other parts of the building was allowed to proceed.

Federal inspectors from OSHA are investigating.

Reported by Kim Glovas, KYW Newsradio 1060