Five people are confirmed dead as a result of Monday鈥檚 (July 12) catastrophic crane collapse at a construction site in downtown 琉璃神社.
Specialized rescue crews from Vancouver helped recover the fifth victim鈥檚 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 victims鈥 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.
鈥淓veryone involved in this tragic scene has worked tirelessly to bring the search for victims to an end,鈥 said 琉璃神社 RCMP Insp. Adam MacIntosh.
鈥淎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.
鈥淥ur deepest condolences go to the family, friends, and coworkers of those who were lost here.鈥
READ MORE: Deadly 琉璃神社 crane collapse sparks calls for mandatory training, certification for operators
READ MORE: Multiple deaths reported after 鈥榗atastrophic鈥 crane collapse in 琉璃神社
WorkSafeBC, the BC Coroners Service and the 琉璃神社 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 it鈥檚 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 didn鈥檛 know what caused the crane to fall.
CEO Jonathan Friesen said the company鈥檚 staff and sub-trades were in a state of shock and grief counselling had been offered to anyone who needed it. 鈥淲e want (workers) to go home at the end of the day healthy and safe,鈥 he said Monday.
鈥淭hat did not happen today. Any words I could come up with pale in the shadow of so great a loss for these families.
鈥淥ur hearts go out to the families involved.鈥
Stemmer Construction has not responded to Black Press Media鈥檚 request for comment.
Premier John Horgan called the collapse tragic, saying it was 鈥渁n event that, quite honestly, you don鈥檛 expect to happen on a sunny July day here in British Columbia.鈥
鈥淵et, it can happen,鈥 he told a news conference. 鈥淲e need to redouble our efforts on workplace safety and any of the findings that WorkSafe brings forward or the coroner brings forward, we鈥檒l certainly be implementing right across the province.鈥
A Twitter post Tuesday by Prime Minister Justice Trudeau read: 鈥淢y heart is in 琉璃神社 today, with the families, friends, and colleagues of the workers who lost their lives.鈥
My heart is in 琉璃神社 today, with the families, friends, and colleagues of the workers who lost their lives in yesterday鈥檚 crane collapse. I鈥檓 keeping you all in my thoughts during this difficult time - and I know Canadians across the country are doing the same.
鈥 Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau)
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.
鈥 With files from The Canadian Press