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One person dead after load from construction crane falls on Vancouver building

One dead in crane incident

UPDATE: 6:53 p.m.

One person has died after a load from a crane fell on a building under construction in Vancouver's Oakridge neighbourhood.

Matthew Trudeau with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services confirmed the fatality hours after the load fell Wednesday afternoon, hitting several floors of the unfinished multi-storey building.

He could not confirm what the load contained, but says it struck the floors about 25 storeys up.

Trudeau says about 1,700 workers were evacuated from the site near Oakridge Mall.

Firefighters were called to the city's busy Cambie Street and quickly blocked off a four-block stretch of the road.

Trudeau says tactical crews were to remain on the site to ensure building materials were secure as some of the exterior was damaged when the load fell.

"We're working with the construction companies and contractors (and) they've been really helpful, as well as the (Emergency Health Services) and police. We've got WorkSafeBC (members) that are here on scene," he said. "The primary goal is for us to make sure everything is stabilized."

BC Emergency Health Services said in a statement that two ambulances had been dispatched to the scene but paramedics did not transport any patients to the hospital.

Ashley Gregerson of WorkSafeBC, the provincial worker safety agency, said in a separate statement that the "serious incident" happened around 3 p.m. at an Oakridge Mall work site, but did not provide specifics.

WorkSafeBC sent prevention officers to the site and "mobilized" its occupation health and safety investigations team, she said.

Coltin Lillico, an employee at Crate & Barrel in the nearby mall, said he is not sure of the specifics of what happened, but confirmed the shopping centre remained open and that the furniture store was "functioning normally."

"All I know is there was a blockage on the road and they had to clear it out," he said in an interview about an hour after the load fell.

— The Canadian Press


ORIGINAL: 5:23 p.m.

More than 1,700 construction workers were evacuated from a Vancouver site Wednesday after a load fell from a crane.

CTV News reports emergency crews were called to the job site on Cambie Street near West 41st Avenue just after 3 p.m.

It’s not yet clear if anyone was injured.

Capt. Matthew Trudeau told CTV that while the crane itself remains intact, a technical rescue team is on site stabilizing the load, which crashed into the lower floors of the under-construction building.

WorkSafe BC described the incident as "serious" and has sent investigators to the site.

with files from CTV Vancouver



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