Four confirmed dead in Kelowna crane collapse

KELOWNA (NEWS 1130) – Four people were killed and a fifth person is believed to also be dead after a crane collapsed in downtown Kelowna Monday.

Mounties say one of the people succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, while three others died at the scene. All of these individuals, whom police have only identified as men, were associated with the construction site.

Some of the victims, including two brothers, have since been identified online through fundraisers for their families.

According to the RCMP, another man, who remains unaccounted for, is believed to be buried in the rubble. They were not associated with the construction site, and are said to have been working in an adjacent building when the crane fell.

“That individual’s body has not yet been recovered. We are working with WorkSafeBC, BC Coroners Service, Kelowna Fire Department, City of Kelowna, all in an effort to work with the Mission Group to bring in engineers to determine what is required to safely dismantle portions or secure portions of the crane to where we, with the assistance of professionals and engineers, to recover the remains of that individual,” RCMP Insp. Adam MacIntosh said Tuesday.

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

— Jeremy Walsh (@JJ_Walsh16) July 12, 2021

The RCMP is hoping to be able to get to this person Tuesday afternoon.

What caused the crane to collapse is still unknown, and the state of emergency in Kelowna remains in place.

“Until such time that we are able to secure that area, safely recover this individual’s remains, that area will remain under a local emergency order preventing anyone from going in that area,” MacIntosh added.

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“I think I can state the obvious: something catastrophic occurred and a lot of people lost their lives. Our objective is to do everything we can to support to find out why.”

Next of kin has been notified.

“Yesterday was a tragic day,” MacIntosh said. “To see all those workers standing there and knowing that they had just lost some of their friends and coworkers, and to see the families and what they were dealing with, I can only imagine what they’re going through.”

Related video: Multiple people feared dead after crane collapse in Kelowna

The crane at a construction site in the area of St. Paul Street near Bernard Avenue collapsed onto an adjacent building around 11 a.m. Monday.

The collapse forced the evacuation of properties on small sections of Bernard, Bertram Street, and St. Paul.

Witnesses described seeing the crane fall, with one person saying it happened fast.

“I saw this crane moving. Then it started to wobble very quickly. Then suddenly, it was just collapsing,” Mark MacLean told NEWS 1130.

“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.”

‘Catastrophic failure’

Mission Group, the developer of the 28-storey building under construction where the crane collapsed, calls what happened a “catastrophic failure.”

The group also confirmed the crane fell during the dismantling process but could not provide more details. The company’s CEO said Monday that the incident was “tragic.”

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

Support has been brought in for those impacted by the crane collapse.

“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,” Mission Group CEO John Friesen said. “This is the most serious catastrophe we’ve ever experienced.”

B.C. Premier John Horgan addressed the collapse 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.