The Montreal fire department rescued two people from the rubble of an apartment building in the Montréal-Nord borough after the floor of the apartment they were in partially collapsed Saturday afternoon.
Both people, conscious but injured, were taken to hospital, according to Montreal fire department spokesman Martin Guilbault.
The extent of his injuries is unknown.
Urgences-Santé was contacted shortly before 4:00 p.m.
Guilbault said the collapse, which is not visible from the outside, was caused by a falling concrete slab inside the building. It is not known why the slab fell.
The building, located at the corner of Rolland Boulevard and Pascal Street, contains 10 apartment units and two businesses. All occupants are believed to have been evacuated, said Marie-Ève Beausoleil, section chief of the Montreal fire department.
Beausoleil said firefighters are working to secure the facility and ensure no one else is trapped inside. Montreal police are assisting in the efforts.
According to Christine Black, mayor of Montréal-Nord, the apartments were empty at the time of the collapse.
“What we currently know is that there was a fire a year or two ago, on the first floor… Since then, the western part has been barricaded. [to carry out work there]”he told Radio-Canada.
The top two floors of the building remain unoccupied since the fire.
He City of Montreal Police Service He is helping the firefighters in the operation.
