Second body found in collapsed mall debris

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ELLIOT LAKE, Ontario, June 27 (UPI) -- Rescue crews found a second body Wednesday in the debris of a collapsed shopping mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario, and said there was "nobody else" inside.

At a 1 p.m. news conference, Bill Neadles, spokesman for the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team, said cadaver-sniffing dogs had scoured the collapse area and found no evidence of more remains, the Toronto Star reported.

"There are only two victims in that complex," he said. "There is nobody else in there."

Neadles said it was "a miracle," because at least 26 people were in the food court Saturday afternoon when the rooftop parking lot crashed down into the two-story building.

Names and genders of the two victims weren't released.

Overnight, crews used a massive robotic crane arm from a Toronto construction company to pry away a large section of wreckage. A smaller robot was also remotely driven into the site to assess hazards that could face rescuers and canine searchers, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.

The collapse also caused minor injuries to 22 other people in the former mining town, where scores of residents have camped out near the mall in a rescue vigil, CTV News said.

Provincial Premier Dalton McGuinty was traveling to the town Wednesday afternoon to address the community, the Star said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper told McGuinty in a phone call Monday night the Canadian military could be deployed to assist in the rescue effort, but no request was made by provincial officials.