A man has been crushed to death after scaffolding and a brick wall fell on him while working at a school.
The unnamed stonemason, believed to be in his 40s, was working at Fort Street High School in Sydney’s inner west in Australia when scaffolding collapsed on him just before 11.30am (2.30am BST) on Friday.
The body of the man remains under several tonnes of concrete and scaffolding while authorities work to extract his remains.
New South Wales Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewberry said the recovery would be “complex and protracted”.
He continued: "We haven’t been able to recover the body of this gentleman so far, and the operation will be protracted and complex – it’s likely we are going to have to use a crane to start picking off some of the debris."
Superintendent Dewberry said pupils of the school were not present at the scene and did not witness the man’s horrific death unfold.
A police spokeswoman confirmed officers attended the location and found the stonemason trapped under large stones and said they are unsure if his body will be recovered today.
Some say the man was working on the outside of the main building’s third floor where they think the facade may have broken away and collapsed on top of him.
The man's co-workers are understood to be devasted at the accident.
The tragic event comes just a few days after a 46-year-old detective sergeant who was on duty was found dead by colleagues inside a room at Ermington Police Station in Sydney.
The Daily Telegraph reported the man died after a “shooting incident” and early investigations suggest the officer was shot with a police-issued firearm.
Detectives have launched a critical incident investigation into the man's death.
“The 46-year-old detective sergeant from a specialist command was on-duty at the time and initial inquiries suggest there are no suspicious circumstances,” a statement from NSW Police read.
A critical incident investigation has been launched by detectives from South West Metropolitan Region, who will prepare a report for the coroner.
