RAAF base in Ashburton is being evacuated due to a building collapse that left a brick factory and a small car factory with a skeleton crew, and the community is hoping to find the remaining members of the crew who went missing.
Key points:Residents say they are hopeful to find people still at the factory after the collapseIn the weeks since, the town has received more than 2,000 calls and more than $300,000 in donationsAn Australian company is hoping they can get some of the people who worked on the factory to come forward, and is trying to organise a search partyThe Australian Federal Police have confirmed they are investigating the collapse of the building and the collapse and rescue efforts are continuing.
The company that owns the property has said they are confident they will recover the bodies of those who died in the collapse.
But it’s not clear if the remains will be returned to the town.
Residents of the rural community of Ashburtton in south-west Queensland, where the factory is located, have been waiting since Thursday for word on who was working on the site.
They say the company that owned the building is now in the process of going into receivership.
“They’ve been talking about it for a long time, they’re trying to find out where they can, what’s happened and what they need to do, but they’ve been pretty quiet,” resident Chris Burdon said.
“We’ve been really worried about the safety of the community.”
The building collapsed at the Ashburts’ factory in the town of Woomera, Queensland, on Thursday night, killing one person and injuring 10 others.
A search has been underway to find all those who worked there.
A spokesperson for the Australian Federal Government said it was assisting in the investigation.
“Our first priority is to support the recovery efforts of those affected by the tragedy in Woomira, and to assist local authorities in recovering the bodies,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Australian Fire and Rescue Service has been informed.
Topics:fallen-flag,community-and-society,apollonia-4880,brisbane-4000,ashburttons-4870