2 dead, 1 injured, after house collapses on B.C. island

Savary Island, B.C. (Shutterstock)

Two people are dead and a third person was taken to hospital after the house they were renovating on a small island in British Columbia collapsed onto them, according to authorities.

In a statement Thursday, the Powell River RCMP said officers were called to Savary Island at around 2 p.m. on April 6 for a report that two men were trapped under a residence on Patricia Crescent.

Emergency responders on scene determined the house was in the process of being lowered onto a new foundation when it collapsed, according to the statement.

Police say the men were found underneath the home by volunteer firefighters and were pronounced dead at the scene.

A third man was injured and taken to hospital but is expected to recover, according to the Mounties.

“The Savary Island Volunteer Fire department worked tirelessly to raise and stabilize the house in order to reach the deceased men,” the RCMP said.

Investigators have determined there was no criminality involved in the deaths, according to the statement.

Savary Island is located approximately 140 kilometres northwest of Vancouver in the Strait of Georgia.