UPDATE: Some evacuation orders lifted around site of crane collapse

(UPDATE: July 14 @ 3:55 pm) - The evacuation order has been lifted for a small number of downtown Kelowna properties.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations (CORD) said the collapsed crane is being disassembled in stages and the first part of the process has been completed safely.

As a result, the following addresses are no longer a part of the evacuation order:

• 547 Bernard Ave.
• 549 Bernard Ave.
• 565 Bernard Ave.
• 567 Bernard Ave.
• 571 Bernard Ave.
• 575 Bernard Ave.
• 108, 591 Bernard Ave.
• 200, 591 Bernard Ave.
• 597 Bernard Ave.
• 612 Bernard Ave.
• 1475 Bertram St.

"St. Paul Street is open to pedestrian traffic only but all businesses on St. Paul Street and Bernard Avenue are open, including The District on Bernard," explained the CORD release.

"Bernard Avenue remains closed to vehicles at Richter Street and open to pedestrian traffic only."

The evacuation order remains in effect for the following addresses:

• 1450 Bertram St.
• 1464 Bertram St.
• 1468 Bertram St.
• 1476 Bertram St.
• 1488 Bertram St.
• 1441 St. Paul St.
• 100, 1449 St. Paul St.
• 101, 1449 St. Paul St.
• 204, 1449 St. Paul St.
• 204A 1449 St. Paul St.
• 100 1461 St. Paul St.
• 105 1449 St. Paul St.
• 106 1449 St. Paul St.
• 200 1449 St. Paul St.
• 200A 1449 St. Paul St.
• 201 1449 St. Paul St.
• 202 1449 St. Paul St.
• 203 1449 St. Paul St.
• 203A 1449 St. Paul St.
• 200 1461 St. Paul St.
• 1471 St. Paul St.

"Only when the next stage of crane disassembly has occurred and it is deemed safe will the evacuation order be fully rescinded," the CORD release added.

"This may take several days."

(UPDATE: July 14 @ 8:25 am): A fifth body has been recovered after Monday's fatal crane collapse in Kelowna.

The RCMP said they do not believe anyone else was killed or hurt in the tragedy.

It brings the confirmed death toll up to five.

The fifth victim was a man from Kelowna who police believe was working in a nearby building when the crane collapsed and buried him under rubble.

Mounties said they would not be revealing further details about the man in an attempt to protect his privacy.

“Everyone involved in this tragic scene has worked tirelessly to bring the search for victims to an end,” said Insp. Adam MacIntosh.

“At this time, we do not believe there are any other persons who were injured or killed as a result of the collapse of this crane."

He added: "Our deepest condolences go to the family, friends, and coworkers of those who were lost here.”

Vancouver Fire Department's Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team, which arrived in Kelowna late last night, was responsible for recovering the man's remains.

They retrieved them just after midnight, the RCMP said.

WorkSafeBC, the BC Coroners Service and the RCMP are all continuing their concurrent investigations into the tragedy today.

The Evacuation Order remains in effect as efforts continue to secure and dismantle the crane, but the RCMP said it hopes this can be done "within the next day."

Police added: "Once this has been accomplished, a reassessment will be done to determine if it is safe to rescind or reduce that order and allow residents and businesses to return."

For updates, head here.

Anyone with information who is yet to speak with police is asked to call the Kelowna RCMP Serious Crime Unit at 250-762-3300.

(Original story: July 14 @ 7:15 am): A specialized team of first responders from Vancouver has arrived in Kelowna to begin the work of trying to recover the body of a missing man under the rubble of a building next to a construction site where a crane collapsed, killing four other people.

Assistant chief David Boone of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said firefighters, paramedics, police and an engineer are part of the heavy urban rescue team, one of six such teams in Canada.

Boone, who is leading the team, said work is expected to begin Wednesday after an assessment of the site where RCMP said a crane toppled Monday from above a 25−storey residential tower under construction and crashed into a neighbouring building.

"We get briefed by the first responders that have been active on−site, we get briefed by their engineer and the engineer for the crane and we come up with an incident action plan and prepare the site for work," he said late Tuesday.

"In regards to actual activity of any sort, breaching walls, getting into the building, a lot of work has to occur before that happens."

The missing man, who is presumed dead, was working in the building adjacent to the construction site and police were hoping to recover his body Tuesday, RCMP Insp. Adam MacIntosh said.

Four workers on the jobsite, including the crane operator,, were killed, while another man who was taken to hospital for treatment of non−life−threatening injuries has since been released, he said.

The Mounties are collaborating with the BC Coroners Service, WorkSafeBC, Kelowna Fire Department and engineers to determine what’s required to safely secure portions of the crane to recover the man’s body, he said.

Until then, a local emergency order prevents anyone from accessing the area.

The building next door housed a consulting business, MacIntosh said.

He would not speculate about the cause of the collapse but said workers were getting ready to take the crane down or were in the process of dismantling it.

My heart is in Kelowna today, with the families, friends, and colleagues of the workers who lost their lives in yesterday’s crane collapse. I’m keeping you all in my thoughts during this difficult time - and I know Canadians across the country are doing the same.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 13, 2021

"Why exactly that crane collapsed, that’s a part of the investigation," he said. "Obviously, something catastrophic occurred."

The RCMP are investigating to ensure the collapse was not criminal and a WorkSafeBC investigation will also determine what occurred, he said.

The collapse knocked out power for most of Kelowna’s downtown core and prompted an evacuation order for surrounding homes and businesses. Some people remained displaced from a seniors residence on Tuesday, MacIntosh said.

The head of Mission Group, the development company building the residential tower, said Monday that he didn’t know what caused the crane to fall.

Jonathan Friesen said the company’s staff and subtrades were in a state of shock and grief counselling had been offered to anyone who needed it.

The website for Stemmer Construction, based in Salmon Arm, lists the tower in Kelowna as one of its current projects.

A call to Stemmer’s office about whether any of its employees were affected by the collapse went unanswered on Tuesday afternoon.

Premier John Horgan called the collapse tragic, saying it was "an event that, quite honestly, you don’t expect to happen on a sunny July day here in British Columbia."

"Yet, it can happen," he told a news conference. "We need to redouble our efforts on workplace safety and any of the findings that WorkSafe brings forward or the coroner brings forward, we’ll certainly be implementing right across the province."

A Twitter post Tuesday by Prime Minister Justice Trudeau read: "My heart is in Kelowna today, with the families, friends, and colleagues of the workers who lost their lives."

A candlelight vigil has been planned for Friday at 9 pm near the site of the crane collapse.

The aim is to gather as close to the site as possible, organizers say, but the exact location had yet to be determined.

– With files from Canadian Press