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Fifth body found in Kelowna crane collapse, investigations continue

Man buried beneath rubble when the crane fell on his office building
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The crane pictured here in operation on March 26, 2021, before it collapsed while being taken down on Monday. (Phil McLachlan/Capital News file photo)

Five people are confirmed dead as a result of Mondaysa国际传媒檚 (July 12) catastrophic crane collapse at a construction site in downtown Kelowna.

Specialized rescue crews from Vancouver helped recover the fifth victimsa国际传媒檚 body late Tuesday night, July 13, after four workers, including the crane operator, were confirmed dead earlier in the day.

Four of the five victims have been identified as construction workers in online fundraisers: brothers , of the family-owned Stemmer Construction that operated the crane on-site; and .

As of Wednesday morning, the three fundraisers have raised a combined total of almost $120,000 for the victimssa国际传媒 families.

The fifth man, who remains publicly unidentified, is believed to have been working in the building the crane collapsed on top of and not associated with the St. Paul Street worksite.

When the crane fell, he was buried beneath the rubble.

sa国际传媒淓veryone involved in this tragic scene has worked tirelessly to bring the search for victims to an end,sa国际传媒 said Kelowna RCMP Insp. Adam MacIntosh.

sa国际传媒淎t this time, we do not believe there are any other persons who were injured or killed as a result of the collapse of this crane.

sa国际传媒淥ur deepest condolences go to the family, friends, and coworkers of those who were lost here.sa国际传媒

READ MORE: Deadly Kelowna crane collapse sparks calls for mandatory training, certification for operators

READ MORE: Multiple deaths reported after sa国际传媒榗atastrophicsa国际传媒 crane collapse in Kelowna

WorkSafeBC, the BC Coroners Service and the Kelowna RCMP have all launched investigations into the incident.

An evacuation order has been in place since Monday, July 12, shortly after the crane toppled at 11 a.m. as crews were working to dismantle it.

As of Wednesday morning, that order, as well as a local state of emergency, remains in effect for buildings in the area surrounding the construction site as crews continue work to secure and dismantle the crane.

Once that work is complete, the situation will be reassessed to determine whether itsa国际传媒檚 safe to allow residents and businesses to return.

The head of Mission Group, the development company building the 25-storey residential tower, said Monday that he didnsa国际传媒檛 know what caused the crane to fall.

CEO Jonathan Friesen said the companysa国际传媒檚 staff and sub-trades were in a state of shock and grief counselling had been offered to anyone who needed it. sa国际传媒淲e want (workers) to go home at the end of the day healthy and safe,sa国际传媒 he said Monday.

sa国际传媒淭hat did not happen today. Any words I could come up with pale in the shadow of so great a loss for these families.

sa国际传媒淥ur hearts go out to the families involved.sa国际传媒

Stemmer Construction has not responded to Black Press Mediasa国际传媒檚 request for comment.

Premier John Horgan called the collapse tragic, saying it was sa国际传媒渁n event that, quite honestly, you donsa国际传媒檛 expect to happen on a sunny July day here in British Columbia.sa国际传媒

sa国际传媒淵et, it can happen,sa国际传媒 he told a news conference. sa国际传媒淲e need to redouble our efforts on workplace safety and any of the findings that WorkSafe brings forward or the coroner brings forward, wesa国际传媒檒l certainly be implementing right across the province.sa国际传媒

A Twitter post Tuesday by Prime Minister Justice Trudeau read: sa国际传媒淢y heart is in Kelowna today, with the families, friends, and colleagues of the workers who lost their lives.sa国际传媒

A candlelight vigil has been planned for Friday at 9 p.m. near the site of the crane collapse. The aim is to gather as close to the site as possible, organizers say, but the exact location had yet to be determined.

sa国际传媒 With files from The Canadian Press





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