Taps can be heard from underneath the rubble of a partially collapsed northern Ontario shopping mall, according to rescuers.
Officials confirmed Sunday that at least two individuals could be trapped under the rubble at Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake.
During a press conference Sunday, officials said they could see a hand and a foot under the rubble. However, because of safety concerns rescuers have not entered the structure to get a closer look, saying it is still too unstable.
"We have obtained some visual information relating to a visual of a hand and a foot which is our grounds for the suspected casualty in this case, we cannot confirm the identity," said OPP Insp. Percy Jollymore.
Bill Neadles, a spokesperson for the Toronto-based Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team, said rescuers heard "a couple of taps" on Sunday morning.
"They called for a quick silence on the site and there was a couple more taps. That was an indication to us that we were dealing with a rescue," he told CTV News Channel.
Neadles said the search team's whole efforts went towards locating the individual.
"There was no verbal, there was no sight, we have no idea if (they're) male, female, what age, it was just a tap."
OPP say at least nine people remain on a missing persons list, but they must still verify whether those individuals had been at the mall during the incident.
The rescue operation could take another 12 hours and officials are hopeful they can find survivors.
"We're treating this as a rescue," Jollymore told reporters. "The reason we're using the deployment -- stabilizing the building, using dogs -- is on the presumption that there are survivors."
Rescuers were deployed to Elliot Lake Saturday after the startling roof collapse left a wreck of twisted metal and rubble at the mall, injuring 22 people.
The section of the roof that crumbled serves as a parking area. At least one vehicle fell through the gaping hole in the roof. The cave-in took out two floors of the building and left an impact area of approximately 40 by 80 feet. The collapse also triggered a gas leak.
At least 25 members of the Toronto search team are assisting the Ontario Provincial Police's Urban Search and Rescue unit. But before rescuers can comb through the wreckage, authorities need to survey the site to ensure it is safe for emergency crews to enter.
“The floors have collapsed on each other, the centre beam in the premise is leaning over,” Needles told reporters. “There are very, very large and dangerous slabs of concrete that need to be stabilized and some removed before we can ever enter that premise.”
Business owner Luc Morrissette told CTV's Tamara Ischenko that many in the mall believed the roof would collapse one day.
"There have always been issues with the roof for leaks -- daily," he said. "There's constant repair done on the roof itself for leaks.
Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Mantha told CTV News Channel that members of the community are frustrated with the lack of information from rescue officials.
"But you have to understand this process. The mayor and council along with the emergency response team are trying to answer those questions as fast as they can and it takes time in order to secure this."
Mantha's constituency office is located in Algo Centre Mall.
Asked about past structural concerns about the mall, Mantha said: "You hear the rumours on the street. I know the Ministry of Labour is involved and right now their priority is the rescue operation."
He said he expects the ministry will launch an investigation into the accident.
As rescue teams await permission to enter the site, Ischenko said trained police dogs are sniffing through the debris. Fire officials and paramedics are also at the mall.
An information centre has been set up at the W.H. Collins Centre, a nearby multi-use facility.
Premier Dalton McGuinty issued statement on Sunday, praising the work of local emergency crews, as well as the teams from southern Ontario.
"During a crisis like this, I am reminded of the strength and resilience of Northern Ontarians, and how by pulling together with our friends, families and neighbours, we can get through these difficult times," the statement read.
McGuinty also indicated that he spoke with Elliot Lake Mayor Rick Hamilton on Sunday morning, but didn't provide further details about their conversation.
In a Saturday interview with News Channel, Hamilton said questions about mall infrastructure will be discussed by city staff after the damage is assessed.
Local resident Jean-Marc Hayward told News Channel that he was in the mall's food court when the collapse occurred and watched as pieces of debris struck people around him.
"A lot of people were scared and I imagine there are still some looking for loved ones," Hayward said on Saturday, adding that the mall's lottery booth was completely crushed by concrete.
Elliot Lake is a small city of 11,300 in Algoma District, located about two hours west of Sudbury.
With a report from CTV Northern Ontario's Tamara Ischenko and file from The Canadian Press
