'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
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'