The crane was attached to a skyscraper under construction in Kelowna, British Columbia, when it overturned Monday morning and hit an adjacent professional building and the roof of a “retirement home,” according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police inspector Adam MacIntosh.
Further information on injuries or the number of fatalities was not made public. MacIntosh said the collapse site and the surrounding area were unsafe and unstable.
The incident prompted the evacuation of the surrounding streets and a local emergency declaration. Crews investigate the cause of the collapse.
British Columbia Secretary of Labor Harry Bains said he was “deeply saddened” by the collapse.
“My thoughts go with the workers affected and I extend my condolences to the families, friends and staff of the victims,” Bains said in a statement on Monday.
“All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace – even an injury or death is too much. This is a heartbreaking reminder that we must strive to keep all workers safe to prevent such incidents, ”he added.
Bains said the accident is being investigated by WorkSafeBC, the BC Coroners Service and the RCMP.
MacIntosh said 911 calls regarding the breakdown were received by authorities shortly after 11 a.m.
Several workers were on or near the site when the collapse occurred, he said.
Kelowna is located on Okanagan Lake, about 240 miles west of Vancouver and about 140 miles north of Canada’s US border.
The Kelowna crane collapse came just days after part of another crane collapsed on a building in Toronto on Saturday, damaging the roof but not causing any injuries.
The counterweight, part of the crane designed to prevent tipping, was on top of the 8 The Esplanade apartment building after it fell about 6 meters, Toronto Chief Fire District Stephan Powell told CNN.
The top six floors of the condominium are machine rooms used for building maintenance so no residential units have been damaged, Powell said.
The crane was carrying about 20,000 pounds of counterweight, which shifted causing the crane to tip over, Toronto Fire train chief Kevin Shaw told CNN news partner CTV News.
“This crane is collapsing [caused] a small structural damage to the roof area, but no danger to the floors below, tenants or the like and did not get into any apartment, “Shaw told CTV.
CNN reached out to Del Property Management, which owns 8 The Esplanade, for a comment.
