Five people are confirmed dead as a result of Mondayâs (July 12) catastrophic crane collapse at a construction site in downtown Âé¶čAV.
Specialized rescue crews from Vancouver helped recover the fifth victimâs body late Tuesday night, July 13, after four workers, including the crane operator, were confirmed dead earlier in the day.
Four of the five victims have been identified as construction workers in online fundraisers: brothers , of the family-owned Stemmer Construction that operated the crane on-site; and .
As of Wednesday morning, the three fundraisers have raised a combined total of almost $120,000 for the victimsâ families.
The fifth man, who remains publicly unidentified, is believed to have been working in the building the crane collapsed on top of and not associated with the St. Paul Street worksite.
When the crane fell, he was buried beneath the rubble.
âEveryone involved in this tragic scene has worked tirelessly to bring the search for victims to an end,â said Âé¶čAV RCMP Insp. Adam MacIntosh.
âAt this time, we do not believe there are any other persons who were injured or killed as a result of the collapse of this crane.
âOur deepest condolences go to the family, friends, and coworkers of those who were lost here.â
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WorkSafeBC, the BC Coroners Service and the Âé¶čAV RCMP have all launched investigations into the incident.
An evacuation order has been in place since Monday, July 12, shortly after the crane toppled at 11 a.m. as crews were working to dismantle it.
As of Wednesday morning, that order, as well as a local state of emergency, remains in effect for buildings in the area surrounding the construction site as crews continue work to secure and dismantle the crane.
Once that work is complete, the situation will be reassessed to determine whether itâs safe to allow residents and businesses to return.
The head of Mission Group, the development company building the 25-storey residential tower, said Monday that he didnât know what caused the crane to fall.
CEO Jonathan Friesen said the companyâs staff and sub-trades were in a state of shock and grief counselling had been offered to anyone who needed it. âWe want (workers) to go home at the end of the day healthy and safe,â he said Monday.
âThat did not happen today. Any words I could come up with pale in the shadow of so great a loss for these families.
âOur hearts go out to the families involved.â
Stemmer Construction has not responded to Black Press Mediaâs request for comment.
Premier John Horgan called the collapse tragic, saying it was âan event that, quite honestly, you donât expect to happen on a sunny July day here in British Columbia.â
âYet, it can happen,â he told a news conference. âWe need to redouble our efforts on workplace safety and any of the findings that WorkSafe brings forward or the coroner brings forward, weâll certainly be implementing right across the province.â
A Twitter post Tuesday by Prime Minister Justice Trudeau read: âMy heart is in Âé¶čAV today, with the families, friends, and colleagues of the workers who lost their lives.â
My heart is in Âé¶čAV today, with the families, friends, and colleagues of the workers who lost their lives in yesterdayâs crane collapse. Iâm keeping you all in my thoughts during this difficult time - and I know Canadians across the country are doing the same.
â Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau)
A candlelight vigil has been planned for Friday at 9 p.m. near the site of the crane collapse. The aim is to gather as close to the site as possible, organizers say, but the exact location had yet to be determined.
â With files from The Canadian Press
