Man dead after partial collapse of Montréal-Nord building

A man died after the floor of an apartment building in the Montréal-Nord borough partially collapsed late Saturday afternoon.

The building, located on the corner of Rolland Boulevard and Pascal Street, contains 10 apartment units and a couple of businesses.

All the occupants are believed to have been evacuated, according to the Montreal fire department (SIM).

Firefighters located the victim — a man in his 30s — at 10:15 p.m. Paramedics confirmed his death at the scene.

Christine Black, borough mayor of Montréal-Nord, initially stated that the apartments were empty at the time of the collapse.

Earlier, firefighters rescued two people from the rubble of the building. Both men — conscious but injured — were transported to hospital, according to SIM spokesperson Martin Guilbault.

As of Sunday morning, a man in his 30s is in critical condition and a man in his 50s sustained minor injuries.

SIM section chief Marie-Ève Beausoleil says the victim and the injured men appeared to be doing construction work when the floor collapsed.

She added that there was a fire about a year in the part of the building that collapsed.

Emergency services were called to the scene just before 4 p.m.

Guilbault said the collapse, which is not visible from the exterior, was caused by the fall of concrete slab within the building. The reason the slab fell is not yet known.

Urgences-santé confirmed that two men in their 40s refused to be taken to hospital.

As of Sunday morning, the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) had removed the security perimeter around the building.

Tenants were able to return to their homes late Saturday evening after authorities ensured that the site was safe, according to the SPVM.

The coroner and Quebec’s workplace safety board (CNESST) have taken over the file.