Rescue crews dismantling a partly collapsed Ontario mall moved closer Wednesday to the area where possible victims may be buried in the debris, but hopes were fading that anyone would be found alive days after the weekend disaster.
A huge robotic arm spent the night removing debris to clear a safe path for rescue crews and search dogs, while dozens of residents continued to camp outside to wait for news. Rescue efforts resumed late Tuesday after stalling for a day over fears the unstable structure could further collapse.
One death was confirmed after part of the roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake collapsed Saturday afternoon, and another person is known to be still inside. At least 22 people had minor injuries.
The number still unaccounted for, which has gone up and down dramatically since the accident, had gone down to 12, officials said Tuesday.
Dan Hefkey, the Ontario Commissioner of Community Safety, said the robotic arm was able to push a large escalator that had been slowing the rescue effort away from the spot where victims may be trapped.
"The debris around the area in question is almost removed," Hefkey told reporters on Wednesday morning. "We're being very careful not to disturb the situation."
A structural engineer is on standby to assess the situation, and searchers and dogs will go in once approved, Hefkey said.
Rescuers have not been able to put in a probe to look for signs of life because they have been too busy removing rubble.
Rescuers detected breathing inside the rubble early Monday, but authorities enraged local residents when they called off work later that day.
Locals watched tensely as the robotic arm dismantled the mall's facade. Dozens of residents of the former mining hub had protested in front of city hall after the decision to halt rescue efforts, saying abandoning trapped comrades would be unthinkable in miners' culture
While some cheered late Tuesday, others expressed concern that tearing chunks from the building might jeopardize the safety of anyone clinging to life inside.
Bill Neadles, a spokesman for the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team, said a doctor told them Monday that there was only a remote chance the person known to be inside is still alive.
"He was of the opinion that it was probably a very slim possibility," Neadles said.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered to send in the military to help with the rescue effort.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he wanted to explore the slim odds of a rescue, but said it was a very risky operation.
"It's not unlike a house of cards. It might be if you pull away from this wall in an effort to get access to someone who is trapped in there, it may cause other things to move and other things to tumble and to crumble," he said.
Among those hardest hit by Monday's decision to call off the rescue mission was Rejean Aylwin, who said he believed his daughter Lucie was inside.
"They just gave up," Aylwin said Monday. "It doesn't make sense. You can't give up. You've got to keep going until you find them."
————
Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
沒有留言:
張貼留言