Edmonton man believed to be among victims of crane collapse
Four workers were killed and a fifth man is missing in rubble after a crane collapsed at a construction site in Kelowna, B.C., the RCMP said Tuesday.
Insp. Adam Macintosh told a news conference that four men, all workers at the construction site, were killed when the upper portion of the crane toppled from the 25-storey residential tower and smashed into a neighbouring building Monday.
The missing man, who is presumed dead, was working in that building and police were hoping to recover his body, Macintosh said.
Police said another man was taken to hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
A Gofundme created by Christa Walker identifies one of the victims as Jared Zook of Edmonton.
The Mounties are collaborating with the BC Coroners Service, B.C.'S worker safety agency Worksafebc, the local fire department and engineers to determine what's required to safely dismantle or secure portions of the crane to recover the man's remains, he said.
Until then, a local emergency order prevents anyone from accessing the area.
Macintosh would not speculate about the cause of the collapse, but said workers were ready or in the process of taking the crane down.
“Why exactly that crane collapsed, that's a part of the investigation,” he said. “Obviously, something catastrophic occurred.”
The RCMP are investigating to ensure the collapse was not criminal in nature and a Worksafebc investigation will also determine what occurred, he said.
One person who died had been taken to hospital, while the others died at the scene, Macintosh said. The crane operator is believed to be among the dead, he said. “Some of them were physically on or around the crane when it had collapsed.”
The head of Mission Group, the development company building the residential tower, said Monday that he didn't know what caused the crane to fall.
Jonathan Friesen said the company's staff and subtrades were in a state of shock and grief counselling had been offered to anyone who needed it.