General

Premier intervenes to restart search for mall survivors

Rescue efforts at the Algo Centre Mall are a-go again after a late-night call from Premier Dalton McGuinty. Rick Hamilton, mayor of Elliot Lake, said the premier called with promises of assistance.

“He simply said if that was his son or daughter he would like to see every means necessary used to effect the rescue,” Hamilton said at a 10 p.m. news conference.

As the National Post reports, the search had been called off about five hours earlier after an engineer warned that the building could further collapse at any time putting rescuers at risk.

“I have spoken to Emergency Management Ontario and the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team and have instructed them to determine if there is any other way possible to reach any victims without endangering our rescuers, including the use of equipment to dismantle the building from the exterior,” the premier said in a statement last night.

“I believe we owe it to the families waiting for word of their loved ones to leave no stone unturned. We owe that to the people of Elliot Lake too. Ontarians expect nothing less.”

An emergency worker told CBC news that they will move to “extreme measures” to move the rescue forward.

“We’re hopeful that we can get some success going here,” said Elliot Lake fire Chief Paul Officer.

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