People missing after roof falls

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A woman checks out the damage after part of a roof collapsed at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Saturday. (CORA RICHER / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. -- Emergency crews were scrutinizing mounds of debris for possible victims after part of a roof collapsed at a busy mall in the northern Ontario city of Elliot Lake Saturday.

It's still unclear if anyone was seriously injured or killed after concrete and metal came crashing down at the Algo Centre Mall, but one community member said some people appeared to be unaccounted for after the roof gave way a little before 2:30 p.m.

"Some of these families are concerned that they haven't heard from their loved ones," said NDP Member of the Provincial Parliament Michael Mantha, whose constituency office was above the mall.

"You see a lot of people holding hands right now. There's a lot of hugging going on. There are going to be many, many prayers that are being held tomorrow morning in many of the churches and tonight."

Mantha said he knew a few people were injured, but he couldn't say how badly they had been hurt.

A local state of emergency was declared soon after a portion of the mall's roof, which serves as a parking area, came thundering down through two floors.

"I heard this big noise. The ground started shaking, so I ran out. My co-workers are freaking out," said Cora Richer, who was working at the Dollarama located near the site of the collapse.

"The roof was caved in, wires everywhere."

The collapse left a tangle of twisted metal and concrete supports and triggered a gas leak that prompted emergency officials to cut power to the centre.

Richer said one of her co-workers rushed to help a man who had been hit by falling debris before the group hurried out of the mall through a back entrance.

"We were freaking out," the 20-year-old said. "The rest of it could have collapsed, so we went out the back."

Two kiosks selling lottery tickets and cigarettes were located in the area where the roof gave way, and they were open before the collapse, Richer said, adding the entire incident has rocked the community.

"I was shaking. I was pretty shocked," she said. "A lot of my co-workers melted down and started crying."

Another mall employee said he saw a few cars fall through the roof when it came down near the centre's escalators.

"You can see the roof with the cars hanging inside," said Joe Drazil, who works at the mall's Zellers.

"Everybody was cleared from the whole mall. After that, there were numerous police and emergency vehicles coming from all over."

Emergency officials quickly evacuated the mall and closed surrounding roads. Authorities remained on scene Saturday night.

Ontario Provincial Police said they couldn't confirm any serious injuries nor that there were missing people, but they asked anyone who feared for a loved one to check in at an information centre.

"We have OPP officers there, along with vicars and critical-incident-stress people who are there to assist them, and we want to know if there is anyone missing," OPP Const. Marilyn Cameron said.

"Right now we can't report on whether we have any injuries or missing people at this point -- nothing confirmed."

The cause of the roof collapse is unclear. Authorities said they are currently focused on rescue efforts and stabilizing the scene.

The mall houses a grocery store, restaurants and a number of retail outlets. A hotel is also attached to the centre, which is the largest mall in Elliot Lake.

The city is 160 kilometres west of Sudbury.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 24, 2012 A5