2 people rescued from partially collapsed building in Montréal-Nord borough

The Montreal Fire Department rescued two people from the rubble of an apartment building in the Montreal-Nord neighborhood after the floor of the apartment they were in partially collapsed late Saturday afternoon.

Montreal fire department spokesman Martin Guilbeau said both were conscious but injured and taken to hospital.

The extent of their injuries is not known.

Urgences-Santé was contacted shortly before 4 p.m

The collapse, which is not visible from the outside, was caused by a concrete slab falling inside the building, Guilbeau said. It is not known why the slab fell.

The building, located at the corner of Roland Boulevard and Pascal Street, contains 10 apartments and two businesses. All residents are believed to have evacuated, Montreal Fire Department Chief Marie-Yves Beausoleil said.

Beausoleil said firefighters are working to secure the area and make sure no one is trapped inside. Montreal police are assisting in the effort.

According to Montreal-Nord district mayor Christine Black, the apartments were empty at the time of the collapse.

“What we currently know is that there was a fire about 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.

After the fire, the two upper floors of the building remained uninhabited.

It Police Service de la Ville de Montréal He helps the firemen.