By Canadian Press

Crews still checking Vancouver building for possible victims after roof collapse

Jul 15, 2022 | 6:22 AM

VANCOUVER — Eight people have been rescued from office space located below a collapsed rooftop parking lot in east Vancouver, but fire officials say it’s still too early to tell if everyone is accounted for.

Vancouver Fire Asst. Chief Dan Moberg says the eight were in a room beside the collapsed area and crews used a ladder truck to reach a second-floor window and remove the trapped people.

Two of the victims were treated in hospital but their conditions have not been updated.

Moberg says crews, including members from Vancouver’s specialized team that responds to major structural collapses, spent the night trying to move concrete debris from the search area.

Fire officials have said a small bobcat-style loader was working on the roof and drilling was underway on a section of the parking lot when the collapse happened at about 1 p.m. Thursday.

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The loader and a piece of pavement roughly three metres by four metres dropped from the parking lot into the offices below.

The area, which includes a major street beside the damaged building, remained closed early Friday.

WorkSafeBC, the agency that oversees worker safety in the province, says it has already opened an investigation into the cause of the collapse.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2022.

The Canadian Press