One presumed dead, one injured in collapse at B.C. construction site: RCMP

The RCMP say one person is believed to be dead and another is in hospital after part of a building collapsed in North Vancouver on Wednesday.

Sgt. Peter DeVries says fire and rescue personnel determined that one person sustained "catastrophic" injuries, but it was still too dangerous to remove debris within the construction site in order to recover the body.

The coroners service has yet to officially confirm the death, he says, while BC Emergency Health Services says the second person is in stable condition.

DeVries says police don't believe anyone else was trapped.

He says it looked like a "demolition in progress," but he couldn't confirm what kind of work was taking place at the building.

He says officers encountered a chaotic scene when they responded to numerous 911 calls about the collapse around 9:45 a.m.

The Mounties will investigate to determine whether any criminality was involved in the death and if they find none, the coroners service and WorkSafeBC, the provincial worker safety agency, will examine the circumstances that led to the fatality.

North Vancouver Police on Twitter:

We are sad to report that one person is believed to have died in a construction site collapse this morning in #NorthVancouver. Our thoughts and hearts are with family and friends. https://bit.ly/3jfMc4g