Multiple fatalities after Kelowna crane collapse

BREAKING UPDATE: Four people are dead and another is unaccounted for, Kelowna RCMP says. Read more.

KELOWNA (NEWS 1130) – A local state of emergency has been declared in Kelowna after a deadly crane collapse in the city’s downtown core on Monday morning.

Kelowna RCMP confirms “multiple fatalities” after the construction crane on St. Paul Street near Bernard Avenue collapsed onto an adjacent building at around 11 a.m.

In an emailed statement to NEWS 1130, BC Emergency Health Services (EHS) said three people were rescued. All were taken to hospital. One was critically hurt, one person was in serious condition, and the third suffered minor injuries. It’s unclear if any of those people are among those now confirmed to have died.

There are reports of at least one person who is unaccounted for.

I dodged death today. I usually park here Monday mornings and arrive the exact time this fell. My wife called and asked me to come back and pick up one of my kids so I turned around #kelowna #kelownacranecollapse pic.twitter.com/UMzbWBxnAj

— ronald cannon (@ronaldcannon) July 12, 2021

An evacuation order had been issued for properties on small sections of Bernard Avenue, Bertram Street, and St. Paul Street.

“The incident site and its surrounding area remains unsafe and unstable. Road and sidewalk closures, including barricades, are in place to ensure safety. Residents and visitors are to stay out of the area,” reads a statement from Central Okanagan Emergency Operations.

Evacuees of the @cityofkelowna downtown area can go to the Salvation Army at 1480 Sutherland Avenue for Emergency Support Services (ESS). Separately, families of those injured or missing should go to the Parkinson Recreation Centre (McIntosh Room) at 1700 Parkinson Way.

— Central Ok Emergency (@CO_Emerg) July 12, 2021

Mark MacLean witnessed the crane fall and says it happened very fast.

“I saw this crane moving. Then it started to wobble very quickly. Then suddenly, it was just collapsing,” he said.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, and so fast. I think that’s the thing that shocked me, just how fast that collapse happened … I’ve never seen men move down the crane so fast, as they were trying to climb off of it … the collapse stopped just above where it’s attached to the building.”

It partially hit the patio/parking garage of a building in the alley pic.twitter.com/lkd7CfcRCA

— Jeremy Walsh (@JJ_Walsh16) July 12, 2021

“It’s a catastrophe, in a technical meaning but also for the people involved … It’s hard to absorb,” MacLean said.

Bernard Avenue is lined with restaurants, coffee shops, and retail stores. MacLean says it was a picturesque, peaceful day in the area before the crane came down.

“Out of the blue, it happened,” he said. “It was loud, but that wasn’t what struck me, the loudness of it … It was a matter of very few seconds, from the point of failure to the thing just being collapsed.”

‘Catastrophic failure’

Mission Group, the developer of the 28-storey building under construction where the crane collapsed, calls it a “catastrophic failure” that happened during the “dismantling process.” It says the building was immediately evacuated.

“Mission Group expresses its deepest sympathy for the families of those affected by this tragedy. We have set up support services to help those in need,” a statement from the company reads.

“The health and safety of our employees, trades, and the community at large remain our top priority.”

CEO Jonathan Friesen provided more details Monday evening, saying there is no word other than “tragic” to describe what happened. He did not comment on the number of casualties, but did say those who died were workers who were contracted out by the Mission Group and were not members of a trade union.

“The deceased individuals were working on the site,” he said.

“They were not Mission Group employees, and that does not change the fact that that people died today. It doesn’t matter whose employees they were; they were on our site, and as a result of their work, they did lose their lives.”

On an update with Mission Group CEO Jonathan Friesen who says the workers at the site in Kelowna were not their employees, they were contract employees. Says still a horrific situation. Not saying how many people were killed. @NEWS1130

— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) July 13, 2021

Friesen would not say who the workers were employed by, or what jobs they were doing.

“Police are working towards having a conversation with next of kin first. And so disclosing that information would be just, just a little bit too much for now,” he said.

On a typical day, Friesen said there would be approximately 100 people working on site.

Grief counsellors were brought in immediately and will remain available.

“There’s been ongoing communication with all of our trades, as well as all of our staff members, who were quite frankly in a state of shock right now,” he said. “This is the most serious catastrophe we’ve ever experienced.”

A crane collapsed in Downtown Kelowna on July 12, 2021. (Photo courtesy: Tyler Kovach)

The building was slated for completion in November, but Friesen said it’s far too soon to speculate when work will resume.

“We’re not really thinking about next steps for the project or the construction schedule or anything along those lines. The site will be stabilized from a safety standpoint in fairly short order. And once the investigation is completed, we will continue on, I’m sure,” he said.

“But to give any kind of a schedule indication beyond that would be just wild conjecture.”

-Mission Group immediately evacuated the building
-The crane, at the time, was being dismantled
-"Mission Group expresses its deepest sympathy for the families of those affected by this tragedy. We have set up support services to help those in need." #KelownaBC

— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) July 12, 2021

Power was cut to a large section of the downtown area as a result of this incident.

RCMP and firefighters were on scene evacuating the surrounding area, and the Central Okanagan Emergency Centre is supporting emergency response teams.

WorkSafeBC is also investigating the crane collapse.

UPDATE: @WorkSafeBC also investigating crane collapse in #Kelowna shortly after 11am at Bernard Ave and St. Paul.

That team is trying to identify the cause and any contributing factors –aimed at improving safety at all construction sites.
More details from @pjimmyradio at 1pm https://t.co/ZqlA8OJPIm

— Marcella Bernardo (@MBernardoNews) July 12, 2021

B.C. Premier John Horgan took to Twitter Monday, saying he will be “anxiously” waiting for updates on this “heart-wrenching accident.”

“We hope our incredible first responders are able to get help to the workers involved,” his tweet reads.

He also addressed what happened when speaking to the media on Tuesday.

“It’s obviously tragic when people go to work in the morning, they expect to be able to come home in the evening. It’s just a very sad day for those families that have been affected, as well as all of the people in Kelowna, and I wanted to acknowledge that. On behalf of the province, that our thoughts are with the people in Kelowna,” Horgan said.

Labour Minister Harry Bains also issued a statement, saying he is “deeply saddened” by the incident.

“Every worker has the right to return home safely at the end of the day, and I feel awful for the loved ones and colleagues impacted by this tragedy,” he wrote.

“All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace – even one injury or death is too many. This is a heartbreaking reminder that we must strive to ensure the safety of all workers to prevent incidents like this from happening.”

With files from Hana Mae Nassar, Paul James, Ria Renouf, and Marcella Bernardo