Two workers trapped under debris at Quebec paper mill found dead

“The CSN is mourning that two of the workers involved in the collapse at the Domtar plant were reportedly found dead at the end of today,” the union said Wednesday night.

“One death at work is always one death too many. All our sympathies to the families and relatives of the two victims.”

On Wednesday, Sherbrooke fire Chief Stéphane Simoneau told reporters that the workers had been trapped in a silo about 60 metres high. The scaffolding had been installed inside the silo before several storeys of it collapsed.

A specialized rescue squad from the Sherbrooke fire department was called in to support the local fire department in Windsor, which is about 150 kilometres east of Montreal.

The incident took place shortly after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The mill’s emergency team rescued five people, Simoneau said, including one person who was in critical condition. “Thanks to them, they were able to save a life. Now, there are two lives still to be saved,” he said.

The local ambulance service said three people were taken to hospital after the collapse, including the man who was in critical condition. He is expected to survive.

The workers are employed by a contracting firm that is doing major work at the mill.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2021.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Two workers trapped under debris at Quebec paper mill found dead

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