Worker dead after falling from downtown St. John's construction site
Man working on building under construction fell 11 storeys, witnesses say
A construction worker is dead after falling from a site in downtown St. John's Monday afternoon.
Witnesses at the hotel under construction at Springdale and New Gower streets say they saw the man fall to his death from the top of the building.
Emergency personnel were on the scene shortly before 4 p.m.
"At this time, we haven't positively identified the individual," said RNC Const. Geoff Higdon, who appealed to the public to come forward if they witnessed the fatal fall.
Higdon said work has been suspended on the site.
"We're still working around the circumstances of how the individual fell from the building."
The 12-storey structure will be operated as a Hilton Garden Inn, as part of Manga Hotels, which is based in Mississauga, Ont.
The owner of Manga Hotels, Sukhdev Toor, called it "a very sad day."
But he said the company cannot comment further until the investigation determines how the accident happened.
The hotel is being built by contractor Magna Construction, the same company that built another Hilton hotel near the St. John's International Airport.
Toor said work is a few months behind schedule, and the downtown hotel is now set to open in February.
