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CNN Live Today
Theater Collapses in Downtown Toronto
Aired December 08, 2003 - 11:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have on the phone with us right now Sergeant Jim Muscat of Toronto Police Department.
Sergeant, good morning. Thanks for being with us.
SGT. JIM MUSCAT, TORONTO POLICE DEPT.: Good morning.
KAGAN: What can you tell us about this collapse, please.
MUSCAT: Well, we've got, obviously, many police officers there, as well, as the fire department and the heavy urban search and rescue unit. We've obviously are doing whatever it takes to rescue the people that are there. I know I have seen from our local stations people being rescued. Many of them appear to be breathing. They've been wheeled away on stretchers, and so the operation seems to be going along quite smoothly.
In terms of potential fatalities and other individuals trapped in there, it's too early to tell. Obviously, I'm at my desk and I have got my colleagues there on the scene, who just recently have given a quick update to the local media. But it's premature to be more definitive than that.
KAGAN: Who would be inside this old theater at this time of day?
MUSCAT: Well, I understand there was some construction on the go, and I understand it was some kind of a school, English as a second language type school.
So I don't have specific information with respect to how many people may have been there. So it's too early to be able to give you specific information on that. But our rescue agencies are on the scene, and we're going through the rubble and the collapsed material. Obviously, in the process of rescuing people that are there and we will let you know, in terms of more definitive information, once we have it available.
KAGAN: OK, and just quickly, for those of us not familiar with downtown Toronto. The uptown theater, an old historic theater. Is it pretty famous?
MUSCAT: It's a very well-known theater. It's in the air of Blour (ph) and Young. It's on a street called Belmudo (ph). And I understand there was some type of renovations under way, when, unfortunately, this tragic event has obviously started to unfold. But it's too early to be able to tell you definitively if we have any fatalities. All I can tell you is that we're there, as well as the other agencies, ambulance services, fire are in the process of going through and locating victims. And so far, we've been able to rescue several people that have been taken to local hospitals for treatment. It appears those particular individuals looks like their injuries are too early to tell, but certainly it doesn't appear to be life threatening at this point.
KAGAN: All right, sergeant, we'll be tracking it from Toronto. Sergeant Jim Muscat of the Toronto Police Department, thank you for the latest on that.
MUSCAT: Thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you, sergeant.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 8, 2003 - 11:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have on the phone with us right now Sergeant Jim Muscat of Toronto Police Department.
Sergeant, good morning. Thanks for being with us.
SGT. JIM MUSCAT, TORONTO POLICE DEPT.: Good morning.
KAGAN: What can you tell us about this collapse, please.
MUSCAT: Well, we've got, obviously, many police officers there, as well, as the fire department and the heavy urban search and rescue unit. We've obviously are doing whatever it takes to rescue the people that are there. I know I have seen from our local stations people being rescued. Many of them appear to be breathing. They've been wheeled away on stretchers, and so the operation seems to be going along quite smoothly.
In terms of potential fatalities and other individuals trapped in there, it's too early to tell. Obviously, I'm at my desk and I have got my colleagues there on the scene, who just recently have given a quick update to the local media. But it's premature to be more definitive than that.
KAGAN: Who would be inside this old theater at this time of day?
MUSCAT: Well, I understand there was some construction on the go, and I understand it was some kind of a school, English as a second language type school.
So I don't have specific information with respect to how many people may have been there. So it's too early to be able to give you specific information on that. But our rescue agencies are on the scene, and we're going through the rubble and the collapsed material. Obviously, in the process of rescuing people that are there and we will let you know, in terms of more definitive information, once we have it available.
KAGAN: OK, and just quickly, for those of us not familiar with downtown Toronto. The uptown theater, an old historic theater. Is it pretty famous?
MUSCAT: It's a very well-known theater. It's in the air of Blour (ph) and Young. It's on a street called Belmudo (ph). And I understand there was some type of renovations under way, when, unfortunately, this tragic event has obviously started to unfold. But it's too early to be able to tell you definitively if we have any fatalities. All I can tell you is that we're there, as well as the other agencies, ambulance services, fire are in the process of going through and locating victims. And so far, we've been able to rescue several people that have been taken to local hospitals for treatment. It appears those particular individuals looks like their injuries are too early to tell, but certainly it doesn't appear to be life threatening at this point.
KAGAN: All right, sergeant, we'll be tracking it from Toronto. Sergeant Jim Muscat of the Toronto Police Department, thank you for the latest on that.
MUSCAT: Thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you, sergeant.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
