Devastated friends have paid tribute to the young tradie crushed to death by collapsed scafffolding at a construction site.
Young apprentice Christopher Cassaniti died on Monday after several storeys of concrete fell on top of the 18-year-old at a semi-completed block of flats in Macquarie Park, in Sydney’s north-west, just after 12.30pm.
His body was found in the rubble just before 3pm, as his shattered parents arrived at the scene.
Mr Cassaniti appears to have started his first ever job at the site before January and was pictured in videos celebrating his recent milestone birthday on March 27.
Another man was pulled free from the concrete just after 1pm and rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
Christopher Cassaniti celebrated his 18th birthday last Wednesday, just five days before his life was tragically cut short at the Macquarie Park construction site he was working at
One man has died and another has been rushed to hospital in a critical condition (pictured) after a scaffolding collapse at a Sydney construction site
Shattered workers comfort each other after the death of a man at a Macquarie Park apartment block on Monday afternoon
One worker wipes away tears while another receives a comforting hand from his colleague
Video footage shows his heartbroken mother and father embracing each other at the scene after hearing the devastating news.
‘As you’d expect, they’re devastated to lose their 18-year-old son,’ CFMU state secretary Darren Greenfield told news.com.au.
‘He’s new to this industry, early in his working life. To lose his life doing a job is atrocious.’
Tributes have poured in for Mr Cassaniti, whose mother reportedly runs a food truck near the construction site.
‘Today I am crying because I have lost a person who occupied a very special place in my heart,’ one friend 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. Forever in my heart.’
Workers remained at the site after Mr Cassaniti’s body had been taken away in a white van late Monday afternoon.
Workers 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.
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 before senior officers calmed the scene, The Daily Telegraph.
One worker told the publication that he and his co-workers worked 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.’
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.’
Construction company Ganellen, which was building the apartment block, confirmed it was assisting officials in the rescue.
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.’
New South Wales Police said in a statement: ‘A man has died and another has been injured after an incident at a construction site in Macquarie Park.
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
‘Emergency services were called to Epping Road about 12.20pm after scaffolding collapsed on workers.
‘One worker died at the scene and another man has been taken to Royal North Shore Hospital. Their ages are not available at this stage.
‘A crime scene has been established and the incident will be investigated by police from Ryde Police Area Command and SafeWork NSW officials.
‘A report will be prepared for the Coroner.’