Police said there have been “multiple confirmed deaths” in a crane collapse at a construction site in downtown Kelowna, BC.
The development company said there was a “catastrophic failure” on Monday morning when a crane collapsed on one of its construction sites and crashed into the office building next door and a retirement home.
Mission Group said the collapse occurred around 10:45 a.m. PT in the building on Bernard Street in downtown Brooklyn.
Rescue workers were called to the scene and the building was evacuated.
RCMP initially said there had been “at least one death” but later confirmed that “several” people were killed.
“Fire, ambulance and RCMP converged quickly, but there are several confirmed deaths,” Kelowna told RCMP Insp. Adam MacIntosh said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
The area around a construction site in Kelowna, BC where a crane collapsed Monday morning. (CBC)
At least one person is missing, according to MacIntosh.
On Monday afternoon, BC Emergency Health Services announced that three patients with various injuries had been rushed to the hospital.
According to Mission Group, the deceased were subcontractors and not employees of the company.
“It doesn’t matter whose employees they were. They were on our premises and lost their lives through their work, ”says CEO Jonathan Friesen.
BC Coroners Service and WorkSafeBC are conducting their own investigations into the incident.
“The Mission Group expresses its deepest condolences to the families of those affected by this tragedy. We have set up support services to help those in need, ”a spokesman for the development company said in a statement.
Police built a four-block radius and evacuated the area around St. Paul Street, Doyle Avenue, Bertram Street, and Bernard Avenue, and ordered residents and drivers to stay away.
Police said the area would be cordoned off pending the investigation.
Aircraft, including drones, have been banned from the area.
“All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace – even an injury or death is too much,” Provincial Labor Minister Harry Bains said in a written statement.
“This is a heartbreaking reminder that we must strive to keep all workers safe to prevent such incidents.”
Bains said more information will become available as the investigation progresses.
Interrupted power supply collapse
According to the police, the power supply was interrupted in large parts of the city center. Traffic was diverted out of the area.
Krista Roessing from Kelowna was driving past the construction site when the crane crashed.
“It looked like the crane was moving, but then I realized it wasn’t moving as it was in use, it was coming down,” she said.
She called 911 when people came from all over to help. Roessing said construction workers had started asking people to withdraw from the area and rescue workers arrived within minutes.
“It’s shocking,” she said. “It’s pretty hard to work with.”
Anna Jacyszyn, who works in a nearby clothing store, was looking out the window when she saw a “huge cloud of dust” on the construction site.
A short time later the emergency services arrived.
“I was literally just praying and crying because the emotions you get when you know someone might be hurt are pretty drastic,” she said.
Her husband works in construction, at a different location, and she said it made the breakdown feel more personal.
Police built a four-block radius and evacuated the area around St. Paul Street, Doyle Avenue, Bertram Street, and Bernard Avenue. (Zameer Karim / CBC)
Local state of emergency
An evacuation order was issued for several addresses in the area and an emergency call center was set up.
Evacuees are asked to join the Salvation Army at 1480 Sutherland Ave. and anyone looking for someone who may be injured or missing should go to the Parkinson Recreation Center at 1700 Parkinson Way.
Residents cannot return home or work while the order is in effect.
The city was also declared a state of emergency for the next seven days.
