NEW ORLEANS - The mayor of New Orleans says there's little the city can do about the exposed body of a worker killed in the Hard Rock hotel collapse last year.

Social media was ablaze Tuesday after photos that appeared to show the remains of a person protruding from rubble above Canal Street. Officials said a tarp had previously been placed at the site to obscure the worker's body, but that cover had seemingly been knocked loose.

The photos prompted the following statement from Mayor Latoya Cantrell's office:

“A tarp put in place to conceal the remains of one of the victims of the Hard Rock collapse has been shifted by the wind--- potentially exposing those remains. The condition of the building and the altitude above street level complicate efforts to replace the tarp, as they have prevented recovery thus far."

“To be clear: capturing or sharing images of the victims in such a condition is irresponsible, it is indefensible, and it is not who we are as New Orleanians. Out of respect to the victims and their families, and in the name of basic common decency: we urge news outlets, residents, and social media users to have nothing to do with making a tragic situation needlessly worse.”

The hotel, which was undergoing construction at the time, first collapsed in October, killing multiple workers. 

The city announced last week that it plans to implode the remains of the building in March. Debris removal at the site is expected to continue through the next two or three months.