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A worker is dead after an incident at Suncor’s Fort Hills site near Fort McMurray, Alta., according to a statement from Alberta’s Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration department .
The statement said the worker was operating a piece of heavy equipment on Jan. 13 when it sunk into the muskeg, a type of a watery bog.
The RCMP and Suncor’s emergency crews responded to the incident. Suncor confirmed the worker was using the equipment near a body of water, but said the individual has not yet been located.
“Search and recovery efforts are underway,” Suncor said in a statement.
Suncor said the death is still being investigated but “there are indications that the incident may be the result of a medical event.” The worker was a contractor, the company said.
This is not the first time workers have died at Suncor’s Fort Hills site.
In 2019, Jonathan Murphy was run over by a vehicle at the site; the following year, two workers were killed when a bulldozer collided with a pickup truck.
Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration said in a statement that no more information will be shared while an investigation is done by Occupational Health and Safety.
“Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time,” Suncor said in a statement.
Fort Hills is an open-pit truck and shovel mine about 525 kilometres north of Edmonton.
