An apprentice has died and least two others rushed to hospital after the collapse of a glass roof of a building at Curtin University in Western Australia on Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency services are on the ground trying to locate people in the rubble.
The roof was believed to have been part of a building under construction at the university’s Bentley campus in south-east Perth.
Tweet from @JerrieDemasi
Commander Mike Bell from WA Police confirmed at an afternoon update that a 23-year-old construction worker had died after falling from the five-storey work site.
Commander Bell said the site would have to be made safe before the worker’s body could be retrieved.
CFMEU national secretary Dave Noonan tweeted about the ‘‘terrible news’’ from the atrium collapse.
Terrible news of the death of a young construction worker in an atrium colllapse at a Lend Lease site at Curtin University in Perth. Two workers injured & taken to hospital. Emergency services, WorkSafe & CFMEU officials are on site. #ausunions #auspol
— Dave Noonan (@DaveNoonanCFMEU) October 13, 2020
Two men in their 20s were taken to Royal Perth Hospital with multiple injuries.
Photographs from the scene showed part of the roof had collapsed onto a construction vehicle and entire panels had fallen to the ground.
WA Police confirm a 23yo construction worker fell from a five story work site and died, and two others were injured at Curtin University today. Curtin has confirmed no university staff or students were involved in the incident @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/BEHXWRg4jY
— Aaron Fernandes (@az_journalist) October 13, 2020
Police, ambulance and fire rescuers are in attendance, along with WorkSafe officials.
The building is believed to be the School of Design and the Built Environment.
It was part of a project called The Exchange, which includes a boutique hotel with teaching spaces, student accommodation and shops near Curtin University’s medical school.
There has been an accident on our Perth campus this afternoon. Our thoughts are with all impacted. pic.twitter.com/DwlwHvi1F2
— Curtin University (@CurtinUni) October 13, 2020
Students were sent a text alert advising, “There has been an accident on the construction site of Building 418” and to avoid the area.
Lend Lease, understood to be the building property manager, has been contacted for comment.
-more to come
