A collapse occurred on Wednesday morning at the construction site of the retirement home in the Cap-de-la-Madeleine sector. According to the Trois-Rivières police, there are five injured.
The victims were taken to the Regional Affiliated University Hospital Center (CHAUR) in Trois-Rivières. There is no fear for the lives of the injured workers, says Trois-Rivières police spokesman Luc Mongrain.
A scaffolding on which workers were standing collapsed. The incident happened just before 8 a.m. on the site that previously housed the former Canadian Tire.
The Trois-Rivières police say that no criminal elements have been identified and that the file is therefore exclusively in the hands of the Commission for Standards, Justice, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST).
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On February 28, 2024, scaffolding collapsed in Trois-Rivières shortly before 8 a.m.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Martin Chabot
“The workers had nothing to hold on to, it happened so quickly,” said Lorraine Savard, who observed the scene. “It happened so quickly it made quite a noise,” added another witness, Frank Singcaster. Both said there was panic at the time of the collapse.
According to Trois-Rivières police, up to 80 workers are employed at the site. Officer Luc Mongrain didn't know exactly how many people were there Wednesday morning.
The CNESST is investigating
A team arrived on site in the morning, the CNESST confirmed.
She confirmed that workers were laying bricks on an external wall of the building at the time of the incident.
Two inspectors secured the area and blocked access to the area. They will collect information to find out more about the circumstances of this workplace accident.
The construction site will remain closed for at least a day, possibly longer.
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The collapse occurred near Rue Perreault in the Cap-de-la-Madeleine sector.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Daniel Ricard
In the morning, a slowdown in traffic was observed at the intersection of Fusey and Duplessis streets, near the bridge that connects the Trois-Rivières sector with the Cap-de-la-Madeleine sector.
Political reactions
Quebec Labor Minister and MP for Trois-Rivières, Jean Boulet, reacted to this accident on social networks. Our CNESST inspectors will investigate the matter. “All my thoughts are with the injured workers,” he wrote.
“My thoughts are with the injured workers on the construction site,” wrote Senior Minister Sonia Bélanger.
With information from Louis-Simon Gauthier and Kassandra Lebel
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