The BC Coroners Service has confirmed that a second individual has been found deceased in the debris of the Babine Forest Products sawmill, levelled by an explosion and fire on the evening of Jan. 20.

A specialized team of investigators from the BC Coroners Service Identification and Disaster Response Unit travelled to the scene on Jan. 22 to work alongside RCMP investigators in attempting to locate and identify the two individuals missing since the explosion and fire.

The first individual was located on the afternoon of Jan. 22. The search for the second individual began at the area of the site where the missing workers were most likely to have been at the time of the blast. This strategy was successful, and the second individual was located on the afternoon of Jan. 23.

The identities of the individuals have not yet been confirmed. Because of the devastating nature of the fire and explosion, further testing will be required to confirm identification.

The BC Coroners Service and RCMP have met with families of those two workers and notified them of their findings to date.

The BC Coroners Service expresses condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the missing and injured, and to the entire community of Burns Lake.

For more information, please contact:

Barbara McLintock
BC Coroners Service
250 356-9253 or 250 213-5020

Const. Lesley Smith
RCMP Media Liaison
250 301-3521