'Everyone's devastated': Friends say neuroscientist, 31, missing in Old Montreal fire
A 31-year-old neuroscientist who was visiting Montreal for a conference is among the people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week, according to friends and family.
Friends of An Wu say she was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville after coming to Montreal to attend the Computational and Systems Neuroscience (COSYNE) 2023 event.
"We're definitely all very devastated," said Jill Zhu, Wu's friend. "Part of us still thinks she might still be out there somehow."
The fire has left one person dead and nine injured, while six others are missing.
A woman's body was pulled from the rubble on Sunday, a major effort that involved aerial surveillance and the fire department's technical rescue unit.
"Using drones and using a bucket truck, our police officers and firemen were able to have a look at the scene from high ground, and they were able to locate a victim. Following that, they prepared a plan to safely extricate the victim from the rubble," said Montreal Police Insp. David Shane.
The victim's identity has not yet been confirmed.
"These people who are still missing are probably in the rubble, unfortunately," said Shane.
Investigators survey the scene following a fire in Old Montreal, Sunday, March 19, 2023, that gutted a heritage building. Several people are still unaccounted for. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
SLOW PROCESS, PAINFUL WAIT
Over the weekend, engineers found the building was structurally unsafe, and the top two floors needed to be torn down.
"We will begin the work of dismantling the second and third-floor structures today. We also plan to continue searching through the rubble in an attempt to locate and extricate additional victims," said Fire Department Division Chief Martin Guilbault.
Crews are working to dismantle the building "stone by stone" to preserve the building's heritage.
Police say the investigation at the site could take at least another week to complete.
It's an agonizing wait for Yukun Zeng, who flew into Montreal on Monday looking for answers about his friend.
"It's heartbreaking...heartbreaking. I'm still trying to understand what is going on,"he said.
In China, Wu's parents are desperate for closure.
Speaking through a translator, Wu's aunt, Suzhen Wu, told CTV News they are planning to fly to Montreal next week but have not been able to secure visas.
Wu says the family is struggling through sleepless nights and waiting for a miracle.
An Wu is believed to be a victim in the fire that broke out in Old Montreal on March 16, 2023. (Source: Jill Zhu)
A LIFE FULL OF PROMISE
Friends describe An Wu as a smart and promising neuroscientist.
"She's very well known in the field," said her friend Shijia Liu, adding Wu's disappearance has sent shockwaves through her professional community.
Friends say Wu graduated college when she was 18 and got her Ph.D. from the University of Miami before finding work at the University of California San Diego.
"She's gone. She's missing. And everyone's devastated," said Liu.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.