Man dies and another injured after scaffolding collapses at Sydney worksite
An 18-year-old man has died and another has been injured after scaffolding collapsed at a worksite in Sydney’s north.
The two workers were trapped about midday (local time) on Monday at the worksite on Epping Road at Macquarie Park.
A specialist rescue crew was deployed to the worksite for a “delicate search operation”.
Teenager Christopher Cassaniti was confirmed dead at the scene when he was eventually pulled from the rubble.
A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesman said the men had been trapped by “a large amount” of scaffolding and concrete.
The height of the building under construction is about 13 stories high with police saying the accompanying scaffolding fell 15 to 17 metres.
There were two workers on the top who managed to jump onto a balcony as they felt it give way.
One of the men trapped on ground level, 39, was extracted after 1pm and taken to Royal North Shore Hospital.
Royal North Shore Hospital confirmed to Yahoo7 News he has sustained critical injuries yet could not comment further on his injuries.
Careflight confirmed he was treated for injuries to his lower body at the scene.
Four Fire and Rescue crews, 10 ambulance crews and two helicopters responded to the scene.
Construction company Ganellen said it was helping emergency services at the accident site at the Lachlan’s Line project.
“Our immediate concern and focus is on the safety of our people and accounting for those who were in the vicinity of the accident, and ensuring the site is safely secured,” the spokesman said in a statement.
A worker on the site, who witnessed the incident, told Yahoo7 News the scaffolding fell a considerable distance and was “terrible to watch”.
SafeWork NSW said the incident is now under investigation. A spokeswoman said the cause of the incident is unknown.
A crime scene has been established and the incident will also be investigated by police from Ryde Police Area Command.
With AAP
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