The crane arrived at the scene of the disaster at the intersection of Rue du Port and Place D’Youville this morning, the authorities said during their daily press briefing.
With this crane, we can move a little faster, explained the department head of the Montreal Fire Department (SIM), Martin Guilbault.
“All the work done yesterday was done manually piece by piece, piece by piece to ensure all elements were preserved and everything was done by our rescue team. »
— A quote from Martin Guilbault, department head of the Montreal Fire Department
Despite the challenges and limitations encountered during the search, teams on the ground remain motivated, assured David Shane, Communications Manager and spokesman for the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
Martin Guilbault, Montreal Fire Department Superintendent (left) and David Shane, Communications Manager and spokesman for the Montreal Police Department.
Photo: Radio Canada / Charles Contant
Easing the fear and pain felt by families is truly what drives us. We are all committed to the end, Mr. Shane said.
Authorities have so far freed four of the seven alleged victims.
Four Priorities
We always focus our victim search efforts in the areas targeted by SPVM investigators, Mr Guilbault said.
The SIM director also highlighted the four priorities of the fire and police teams deployed to the disaster area, namely: personnel safety, victim search, investigation of the cause and circumstances of the fire, and monument preservation.
These goals guide the work on site in order of importance, explained the fire brigade commander.
When faced with on-the-spot decision-making, we prioritize in that order, not the reverse, Mr. Shane added.
This type of prioritization will not prevent the authorities from collecting clues about the cause of the fire in the course of the search for the victims, said the SPVM spokesman.
Meanwhile, teams on the ground remain open to the possibility that there are other casualties in the rubble, Shane said.
It can happen that there are people who have stayed in this building who didn’t necessarily have relatives or friends, people who are a bit more socially isolated, tourists who come from abroad whose families don’t know exactly who they are addressing they should be missing, he cited as an example.