Three workers are safe after a section of concrete ceiling collapsed inside a light rail tunnel in the heart of Ottawa. Dozens of emergency responders including a Hazmat team rushed to the scene at Waller St. and Laurier Ave. E., a few blocks south of Byward Market, at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Construction workers and first responders called it a “collapse,” but Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson downplayed the incident, tweeting that there was “no tunnel collapse.” “Staff are reporting a small construction incident with minor injury to one worker. Glad everyone is safe,” Watson tweeted. A piece of concrete fell from the tunnel’s ceiling, Ottawa city councillor Mathieu Fleury told CTV Ottawa. One male worker was able to leave the tunnel by himself, but was taken to hospital by ambulance. A paramedics spokesperson later confirmed that the worker suffered a minor hand injury. Fleury said three workers inside the tunnel were in a “safe zone.” All of them have now left the tunnel and are above ground. The tunnel is under construction for the city’s LRT system. Police blocked off rush hour traffic in the area, on Laurier Ave. from Nicholas St. to King Edward Ave., while emergency repairs were conducted. More to come.
