Man dies after retaining wall on worksite collapses, trapping pair

The incident, which occurred in a field next to the Soda Factory, forced the closure of Boundary Street between Melbourne and Edmondstone streets.

The fact that the field is completely soil shows that the work has just begun.

Police warned residents of the neighboring property to evacuate the building due to fears of further collapse.

Marc O’Brien from the Queensland Fire Department said tools usually used in earthquake zones were used to remove the 19-year-old boy from under the wall, and the process took about an hour.

“The rescue scene is a pretty tricky one,” he said.

“Frankly, we are facing a structural collapse that has already taken one life, and another life was hanging in the balance.”

Laser tracking was used to prevent a second collapse and large plywood sheets were used to further support the wall.

“Concrete is incredibly heavy,” O’Brien said.

“We had a range of resources ready to use, from bare hands and sledgehammers to concrete cutting tools, which we used to get a good result.”

Queensland Ambulance Service operations supervisor Elly Rinks said the 19-year-old was conscious and breathing well when paramedics arrived at the scene.

Once successfully removed, he was taken to a sidecar ambulance in a stable condition before being taken to RBWH.

Occupational Health and Safety teams will investigate the incident, while police will prepare a report for the coroner.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area.

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