The body of a man was found Saturday evening in the rubble of a building which partially collapsed in the afternoon, in Montreal North. Two other people were injured in the event, one seriously.
The victim’s body was found late in the evening, after a long rescue operation.
Earlier, in the afternoon, a slab of the ground floor had collapsed on workers who were inside the building, located at the corner of Boulevard Rolland and Rue Pascal.
Two people trapped in the rubble were rescued and transported to hospital, confirmed the section head of the Montreal Fire Safety Service (SIM), Marie-Ève Beausoleil.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
A survivor of the sad event was taken into care by the police.
One of them suffered serious injuries, while the other escaped with minor injuries.
On site, there was still some confusion around a third person missing less than an hour before the sad discovery.
No one can tell us if anyone is missing. We do not have the exact number of people who were inside before the event.
Marie-Ève Beausoleil, section head of the Montreal Fire Safety Service
A large security perimeter was in place on Saturday evening.
At the passage of The Press, firefighters finished securing the scene in order to continue the search inside, where they finally found the lifeless body of a man. It would be a worker.
With the structure of the building now stabilized, the file was transferred to the City of Montreal Police Department.
” I heard shout »
“Around 4 p.m., there was a big boom,” says Dominique Chartier, employee of the Fortin butcher shop. The man was working when the ground floor of the adjacent building collapsed.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Dominique Chartier
“I stuck my nose in the door, and there was a lot of dust in the air,” he said.
I heard screaming. I went down to see if I could help. There were two people, one below the slab. I only saw his head and torso.
Dominique Chartier
Like him, dozens of people gathered behind the yellow ribbon observing the work of the firefighters. Some of them heard what sounded like the sound of a saw and a jackhammer cutting through concrete.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Firefighters on the scene of the drama
From the outside, no damage was visible. According to Mr. Chartier, renovation work was underway in the building which burned down last year.
Early in the evening, two Spanish-speaking workers were questioned by the police. Relatives holding hands were also briefly escorted inside the security perimeter.
An investigation must be initiated to try to understand the circumstances of the event. The Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work will also be involved in the matter.
Montreal police officers were also on site to control automobile traffic and curious onlookers between Maurice-Duplessis and Pascal streets. Access to the perimeter will be restricted for as long as the intervention lasts.