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Two die in collapse of apartment building under construction in Ontario

Two workers were killed and four others were injured when part of a four-storey, luxury apartment building under construction in London, Ontario, Canada collapsed on Friday, 11 December.

The collapse occurred at Nest on Wonderland (rendered above) at approximately 11.40am at 555 Teeple Terrace, off Wonderland Road. Rescue teams took five workers to hospital, where one died.

Another man, found to be deceased, remained trapped in the debris until Saturday because the structure was deemed unstable.

The Province of Ontario’s fire marshal deployed its Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team to the site, and a private demolition company was contracted to support the work, the city’s mayor’s office said.

The building is a project of Brock Development Group. It was due to be completed in the spring or summer of next year.

A statement has been published on the Nest on Wonderland website, issued by Nest on Wonderland’s president, Michelle Doornbosch, whose Linkedin profile describes her as a partner at Brock Development Group.

"An investigation has begun to determine the cause of the accident," the statement said. "We are cooperating fully with the regulatory authorities as they carry out their investigation.

"This is an extremely sad day for Nest on Wonderland. We are devastated by this incident, and our thoughts remain with the affected workers, their families, friends, and co-workers. Our first priority is always the safety of our employees, contractors, and the community in which we work and live.

"As we learn more about the incident and the investigation progresses, we are committed to keeping you and the members of the community up to date."

The city’s newspaper, The London Free Press, described the local industry as "reeling" from the incident.

"The whole industry, the whole city, is talking about this tragedy. No one should die going to work," Vito Frijia, president of construction firm Southside Group, told the paper.

Image: Render of Nest on Wonderland, the four-storey apartment building under construction that collapsed on 11 December 2020 in London, Ontario, killing two (http://nestonwonderland.com/)

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Comments

  1. I was thinking the building was a high-rise and not four-storey, luxury apartment building. 4 stories above ground level doesn’t suggest a tonnage of materials being thrown about. Building inspectors should definitely be investigating this accident, as a couple of workers will not be making it home for Christmas.

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