Ontario Construction News staff writer
Two men are dead and four are in hospital after a four-storey apartment building that was under construction partially collapsed in west London.
Emergency crews were called to the corner of Teeple Terrace and Wonderland Road South around noon on Friday after part of a wall of the building collapsed, trapping workers.
The London Health Sciences Centre confirmed receiving five patients – two are in fair condition, one is in serious condition, one is in critical condition and one has died. A sixth worker was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Fundraiser set up for family of construction worker killed in collapse
Emergency responders confirmed on Sunday morning that the individual who had been trapped during the partial collapse was recovered just before midnight Saturday. On Friday evening, emergency officials had confirmed that the individual was deceased.
The recovery was a coordinated effort involving London Police Service, London Fire Department, Middlesex-London Paramedic Service and the City of London. As well, a private demolition company was contracted to support the work.
Earlier efforts were slowed because the building was unstable following the collapse. Work began late Friday afternoon, but was paused until Saturday morning. For recovery, portions of the building were carefully dismantled until the structure was stable enough to recover the individual without putting emergency workers at risk.
The Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team was called in from Toronto but the structure was not stable enough to initiate a recovery without the use of heavy equipment. As a result, they are no longer on site.
The apartment building known as ‘Nest on Wonderland’, is being constructed by London firm Brock Development Group.
“This is an extremely sad day for Nest on Wonderland,” Michelle Doornbosch, Nest on Wonderland president, said in a statement.
“We are devastated by this incident, and our thoughts remain with the affected workers, their families, friends and co-workers. Our first priority is always the safety of our employees, contractors and the community in which we work and live.”
Doornbosch said the company is cooperating fully with all regulatory authorities conducting the investigation.
London mayor Ed Holder expressed his condolences to relatives of the victims and thanked first responders for their response to the “tragic incident.”
“The community joins me in expressing our deepest condolences to the families of the two people who lost their lives,” Holder said in a statement. “My thanks go to all of our first responders and to our emergency management team for their swift action.”
Two investigators from the Ontario Ministry of Labour and an engineer were called to the site managed by Brock Developments. Nest on Wonderland was scheduled to be completed by next summer. The site will remain secured as an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse continues.