BURNS LAKE -- The body of one person has been found after a search of the destroyed Babine Forest Products sawmill, the B.C. Coroners Service confirmed today.
The person's identity has not yet been confirmed, the Coroners Service said in a statement early Monday afternoon.
Two sawmill workers - Carl Charlie and Robert Luggi - had been listed as missing.
"Although much of the scene remains unsafe to enter, one individual has been discovered deceased near the periphery of the scene," the Coroners Service said.
"Because of the devastating nature of the fire and explosion, further testing will be required to confirm identification."
Charlie and Luggi had not been seen since the Babine Forest Products mill exploded and caught fire Friday at 8:10 p.m. The accident sent 19 other employees to hospital, some with extremely serious injuries.
The Coroners Service said Monday the search for the other missing person, now presumed dead, will continue.
"However, the devastation on site will make this a lengthy and difficult task."
On Sunday, more than 500 people packed the community hall, just a stone's throw from the hospital where injured workers were shuttled in blizzard conditions the night of the fire.
They embraced, wept and called on each other to share their feelings and experiences in the aftermath of the devastating explosion.
The sawmill -- where the logs were cut into rough lumber -- is a tangle of metal struts, girders and equipment. Deep within the tangled mess, a deep orange flame is still visible, huffing out black smoke.
The sawmill is the only building destroyed.
The planer mill (where the lumber gets a smooth finish), drying kilns and other outbuildings are intact.
Vancouver Sun
