Elliot Lake Mall inquiry hears difficult details about deaths

The inquiry examining the Elliot Lake mall roof collapse has heard more about whether one of the victims could have been alive during the rescue effort.

It's been a key question as the inquiry explores how the rescue at the Algo Centre Mall was conducted.

Details about the nature of the deaths of both Elliot Lake Mall collapse victims were heard at the inquiry this week.

Two people were found dead in the Algo Centre Mall and pulled from the rubble several days after the collapse, in June of last year.

Doloris Perizzolo died almost instantly from her injuries, the coroner informed the inquiry Thursday.

Commission lawyer Nadia Effendi read notes from coroner Marc Bradford's conversation with Perizzolo's relatives.

"You contacted the family and explained that the cause of death was massive trauma, especially to the head, and that the time of death was more of less instantaneous," she read.

But the answers are less clear regarding the death of Lucie Aylwin.

Since emergency workers had reported signs of life in the rubble, the question has remained -- could Aylwin have been alive during the rescue effort?

According to Bradford, it was "possible but not very likely" that Aylwin was alive for a period of time following the roof collapse.

Aylwin was found under a pile of debris and suffered major trauma. There have been questions about whether shifting debris during the rescue may have contributed to her death.

"It's my opinion that there is no significant amount of evidence that supports that scenario," he said.

A more detailed analysis of the cause of death will be given next month when the inquiry hears from the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy.