Although there is “always a possibility”, finding more than seven victims in the rubble of the building in Old Montreal ravaged by a serious fire is at the very least “improbable” at this stage of the investigation, a decided Friday the police of Montreal.
“We have no information to the effect that additional victims would be in the rubble,” said Inspector David Shane, spokesman for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), in the morning. a press briefing.
The day before, Mr. Shane had insisted that the investigators were not ruling out the possibility that there could be people in the building whose disappearance had not yet been reported to the police force, such as tourists who were residing in temporary accommodation or socially isolated people. “It’s always a possibility, but at this stage, it seems unlikely to us,” certified the inspector on Friday.
On Wednesday, the first victim of the fire in the Place d’Youville building was identified by the authorities. This is Camille Maheux, a 76-year-old photographer who has lived in the building for 30 years. The same day, the police also confirmed in the evening that they had extricated two other bodies from the rubble of the building.
Recall that a second body had been located, then extricated from the building on Tuesday. However, his identity has not yet been confirmed. With the two bodies discovered on Wednesday evening, there would therefore still be three people missing among the rubble of the building.
“Increase the pace”
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Martin Guilbault, Division Chief at the Montreal Fire Department, and Inspector David Shane of the SPVM.
The arrival of a second crane also allowed the 20 firefighters and other patrollers still present on the scene to “accelerate the search work” in the last hours. “It allowed us to remove large unstable parts, including steel beams and large parts of the roof. It will allow us to explore the building in more depth, ”explained Friday the head of the division of the Montreal Fire Safety Service (SIM), Martin Guilbault.
The latter maintains that the objective is now to “increase the pace” of excavations, while ensuring the safety of the workers, who work systematically “above” the risks of collapse.
“With the work we are currently doing, we think we could be able to save the facade of the building,” also mentioned Mr. Guilbault. This facade was built at the end of the 19th century.e century.
For the rest, the identification process for the three other victims found continues, but it is still “not possible to provide an estimate of the time” that the process will take, according to Mr. Shane.
Three conditions must first be met, he recalled: the identification must first have been confirmed by two distinct methods, at least one of which is scientific, expert opinions must have been carried out and the family must have been informed. “We are very aware that the wait is always very heavy,” conceded the inspector.
Note: press briefings on the state of the research will no longer necessarily be done on a daily basis. They will be held only “during significant developments”, concluded Mr. Shane, reiterating that “all efforts” will continue to be made in the meantime, from morning to evening.