This is the harrowing moment tradesmen frantically tried to save two colleagues trapped under a mountain of collapsed scaffolding at a construction site.
Piercing screams echoed around the site in north-west Sydney as tradesmen in hard hats and high-vis jackets rushed to free the men on Monday.
New footage of the frenzied scene shows men forming a human chain to remove the rubble as fast as possible.
Frantic workers desperately tried to save their colleagues for 20 minutes until the wailing stopped and they were ordered to move away.
Harrowing: This is the harrowing moment tradesmen frantically tried to save two of their friends trapped under a mountain of collapsed scaffolding at a construction site
Frantic: Workers desperately tried to free their colleagues for 20 minutes until the wailing stopped and they were ordered to move away
Tragic: Christopher Cassaniti, 18, died in the collapse at Macquarie Park, north-west Sydney on Monday. He is pictured on holiday in Hawaii
Happy family: Christopher Cassaniti (centre) celebrated his milestone birthday with proud parents Patrizia and Rob
Patrizia Cassaniti (pictured with her husband at the scene) runs a coffee and food truck near the construction site where her son Christopher was killed
On his birthday, Mr Cassaniti’s mother paid a moving tribute (pictured) to her son. She wrote on Facebook: ‘Today, 18 years ago, was one of the most terrifying moments of my life that was then fulfilled with much relief, joy and happiness’
‘We started cutting with the grinders and hammers until about 20 minutes later we couldn’t hear screaming anymore, that’s when the supervisors told us to move out,’ worker Albert Muscat told 9News.
Christopher Cassaniti, 18, died in the collapse at Macquarie Park on Monday after 17 metres of twisted steel and concrete fell on top of him.
His 39-year-old colleague was pulled from the debris and raced to hospital in critical condition where he has now stabilised.
Mr Cassaniti – whose mother often served him and his colleagues from her coffee van near the site – recently started his first ever job and was pictured celebrating his 18th birthday with workmates on March 27.
On his birthday, Mr Cassaniti’s mother posted a moving message on Facebook about her son which hinted at a difficult birth before the overwhelming joy of his arrival.
She wrote: ‘Today, 18 years ago, was one of the most terrifying moments of my life that was then fulfilled with much relief, joy and happiness.
‘Christopher Cassaniti was born 2.7kg and 47cm and my tiniest baby has now grown to be the tallest of the whole family in both sides. He is compassionate and shy yet strong and forever helpful.
‘We wish you all the best that the world can dish out and May God be forever in your heart and Bless you with much Joy, Happiness and most importantly health.
‘I love you. Happy 18th Birthday Christopher, always Mum, Dad (Rob Cassaniti) and Brothers Adriano Cassaniti and Michael Cassaniti.’
Christopher Cassaniti (pictured) celebrated his 18th birthday with workmates last Wednesday five days before his life was tragically cut short at the construction site he was working at
Heartbroken friends have paid tribute to Christopher Cassaniti (pictured with his mother who ran a coffee truck near the site)
Another man, 39, rushed to hospital in a critical condition (pictured) after a scaffolding collapse at a Sydney construction site
Shattered workers comfort each other at the Macquarie Park apartment block on Monday afternoon
One worker wipes away tears while another receives a comforting hand from his colleague at the horrific scene
Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) state secretary Darren Greenfield told reporters on Monday the boy’s parents were shattered.
‘As you’d expect, they’re devastated to lose their 18-year-old son.’
‘He’s new to this industry, early in his working life. To lose his life doing a job is atrocious.’
He added: ‘These workers were working on the ground as far as I’m aware and it’s come down on top of them. You can imagine 15 metres to 17m metres high, four layers of scaffolding – that’s a lot of steel.’
It comes as police, Safework NSW and others try to work out why the collapse happened.
Tributes poured in for Mr Cassaniti from devastated friends on Monday night. ‘You were such a ball of energy and so hard working, you will be sorely missed by all your family and friends. Nothing more could I have asked for in a little brother,’ his older brother Adriano posted on Facebook on Monday.
His mother also paid tribute to her ‘compassionate and shy, yet strong and forever helpful’ son when he turned 18 just days earlier.
‘We wish you all the best that the world can dish out and May God be forever in your heart and bless you with much joy, happiness and most importantly health,’ Mrs Cassaniti posted.
Benjamin Betros added: ‘You will be dearly missed by all mate. You were a fantastic bloke and had a heart of gold.’
Shatterd: Christopher’s devastated parents Rob and Patrizia Cassaniti at the tragic scene in north-west Sydney on Monday
Christopher Cassaniti (pictured celebrating his 18th birthday with workmates last Wednesday) has been remembered as a friend who saw the best in everyone
‘Today I am crying because I have lost a person who occupied a very special place in my heart,’ Mr Cassaniti’s kindergarten friend Bella Mineo posted on Facebook.
‘You have been my friend since the first day of kindergarten….words can’t express how much this hurts. You were full of positivity, always smiling, always seeing the best in everyone. You are an angel. Those special memories of you will always bring a smile to my face. It hurts me that someone so precious had to pass.’
Family friend Damion King, 16, told reporters he last saw Mr Cassaniti a day earlier.
‘My dad called my mum and told her the news then my sister rang me crying,’ Damion said.
‘That’s when we found out, then about 30 minutes later his brother posted on Facebook saying rest in peace bro. It’d really sad. My sister went to school with him, we used to go on holidays together… he looked after everyone, he was a very caring kid.
‘I was at his 18th on the weekend, this is his first job. He’d just bought a car he’d just started his life… it’s so sad to see, to just lose everything. I talked to him yesterday about his car and all that.’
CFMEU officials remained at the site on Monday afternoon to provide support.
‘Our deepest and heartfelt condolences are extended to the family of the young man lost and sending our best to the other worker seriously injured for recovery,’ boss Mr Greenfield later posted on the union’s Facebook page.
Workers remained at the site after Mr Cassaniti’s body was taken away in a white van late on Monday afternoon.
Tradesmen slowly trickled out, with one telling Daily Mail Australia he was ‘too shattered’ to speak.
The family of the man left critically injured arrived at the building site to speak with workers, and appeared angry and distressed by the situation.
As the scaffolding collapsed, two men standing on one platform were forced to jump for their lives onto the balconies of the building.
‘You were such a ball of energy and so hard working, you will be sorely missed by all your family and friends. Nothing more could I have asked for in a little brother,’ Christopher’s older brother Adriano Cassani (left) posted on Facebook. He’s pictured with Christopher and youngest brother Michael (right)
Police reportedly had to use pepper spray and a baton on distraught workers who desperately tried to free their dying colleague from under the collapsed scaffolding.
One officer pulled capsicum spray from their belt holster, holding it ‘at the ready’ while another officer produced a baton before senior officers calmed the situation, The Daily Telegraph reported.
One worker told the publication that he and his co-workers tried to dig below the pile of rubble and free those trapped in the moments after the collapse.
‘We all formed a big chain and started to pull the planks out … we are human beings, you know, we have to help each other,’ the worker said.
‘Two of them jumped onto a balcony… it was their lucky day.’
Distraught colleagues desperately tried to free Christopher from the collapsed scaffolding
Others said that after hearing the enormous sound of the collapse, the work site ‘just descended into chaos’.
Dramatic pictures from the scene showed despondent construction workers sitting on the ground desperately awaiting news.
Steve Vaughan, acting superintendent of NSW Ambulance, described the scene as ‘absolutely chaotic and emotionally charged.’
Devastated colleagues remained at the site after Mr Cassaniti’s body was taken away in a white coroners van (pictured) late on Monday afternoon
Workers heard a loud bang as a mass of twisted steel and concrete gave way at a block of flats (pictured) in Macquarie Park, north-west Sydney
Rescue workers at the scene where a construction worker was trapped under scaffolding
A crew specialising in structural collapses was on the scene to try to get to the men at the 13-storey residential development. Pictured: Rescue workers at the scene
Dramatic pictures from the scene showed despondent construction workers sitting on the ground desperately awaiting news
A briefing was held for workers at the construction site on Monday afternoon
The apartment block was part of the ‘Lachlan’s Line’ project by Greenland Australia, which planned to develop 900 apartments across six blocks in the booming suburb.
Up to 350 construction workers were at the site every day.
An update earlier this year said that work was nearing completion and scaffolding was being brought down.
Sydney’s north-west has become a boom area in recent years, with dozens of high-rise apartment blocks being built.
Developers have often built the apartment blocks with specific designs attempting to attract rich international buyers.
Safework NSW said in a statement: ‘While the cause of the collapse is unknown at this stage, SafeWork is employing significant resources to fully understand how this tragic incident occurred.’
Firemen were using a specialist rescue vehicle to try to get to the trapped men. Pictured: Traffic outside the site
Construction company Ganellen confirmed it was assisting officials in the rescue. Pictured: A helicopter at the scene
Two workers were trapped in the collapse around 12.30pm which caused a loud bang and mass panic around the site. Pictured: Authorities at the scene