The Canadian Press

One person was dead and another remained trapped under rubble hours after a four−storey wall collapsed at a construction site in London, Ont., officials announced Friday, as firefighters continued digging through the debris.

At least five others were wounded in the incident at a partially constructed apartment building in the city’s west end, local authorities said.

"Two are in fair condition, one is in serious condition, one is in critical condition, and sadly one is deceased," the city said in a written statement issued Friday evening.

"At this time, one additional person remains trapped on the site."

The city said another person had a minor injury but wasn’t taken to hospital.

All the people involved had been working at the site at the time, the city said.

The incident took place just before noon, authorities said.

There was no immediate word on what may have caused the collapse.

As of mid−afternoon, firefighters, paramedics and other emergency responders surrounded the dark pink building, which is slated to become apartments.

The structure is still covered in scaffolding.

The Office of the Fire Marshal said it was sending the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit and the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team to the scene to help local firefighters dig through the rubble.

"There’s a considerable amount of debris," said Deputy Fire Chief Matt Hepditch.

The London Health Sciences Centre, which initially declared a "Code Orange" in response to the collapse, said it also sent doctors to the scene to help with the "extrication."

A Code Orange is declared when numerous people are injured in a disaster and it’s expected to affect hospital operations. The LHSC later lifted the code, saying it was able to handle the small influx of patients.

The Ministry of Labour had two investigators and an engineer at the site, which it said was managed by Brock Developments.

The address is listed as the site of "Nest on Wonderland," a forthcoming low−rise "premium" apartment building, scheduled to be finished by spring/summer 2021.

Brock Developments did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

(C) The Canadian Press

Photo by Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press