wreck ‧ age /ˈrekɪdʒ/ BrE AmE noun [singular, uncountable]
1 . the parts of something such as a plane, ship, or building that are left after it has been destroyed in an accident:
Firemen managed to pull some survivors from the wreckage.
wreckage of
Accident investigators will examine the wreckage of the plane.
2 . the parts of someone’s relationships, hopes, or plans that remain after they have been spoiled
wreckage of
She still hoped to salvage something from the wreckage of her marriage.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ be pulled from the wreckage
The driver was pulled from the wreckage of his car.
▪ be cut (free) from the wreckage
She had to be cut free from the wreckage by firemen.
▪ be trapped in the wreckage
He was trapped in the wreckage for almost seven hours.
▪ wreckage is strewn/scattered/spread
The wreckage was strewn over a large area.
▪ sift through wreckage (=carefully look through all the pieces)
Crash investigators have been sifting through the wreckage of the plane.
▪ examine wreckage
Forensic experts were yesterday examining the wreckage.
▪ survey the wreckage (=look at it)
After the explosion, they got cautiously to their feet, surveying the wreckage.
▪ recover something from the wreckage
The bodies of two children were recovered from the wreckage.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + wreckage
▪ burning/blazing/smoking wreckage
He managed to crawl away from the burning wreckage.
▪ mangled/tangled/twisted wreckage
Recovery teams continue to clear the tangled wreckage.
▪ scattered wreckage
The equipment was used to clear the scattered wreckage of the two trains.
▪ aircraft/plane wreckage
The major task is now to remove the aircraft wreckage from the accident site.
■ phrases
▪ a piece of wreckage
The fishermen were left clinging to pieces of wreckage.