(Newser)
–
The rooftop parking lot of a northern Ontario mall collapsed over the weekend, sending debris through two floors of the building. A pair of cars also reportedly crashed through. Now officials say they believe one person was killed in the incident; another is trapped but may still be alive after apparently responding to rescuers' yells. Some nine others remain missing, though the list is shrinking as people's families confirm their safety. At least 22 received minor injuries in the accident, the AP reports.
Thanks to a camera investigation, authorities have "a visual of a hand and a foot, which is our grounds for the suspected casualty in this case," says an official. There's so much dangerous debris in the area that it could take up to 12 hours for rescuers to reach the trapped person, the CBC reports. "We have to do a very slow and tedious, but safe, entry," says a rescuer. Engineers had conducted a structural study on the Algo Centre Mall just last month, but "it turned up nothing," said its manager. But news reports cite years of leaks from the roof, which resulted in a partial collapse of one restaurant's ceiling.
