A 32-year-old teacher was struck and killed Monday morning after a steel plate fell from a Montreal construction site.

The victim, Saad Syed, was a language teacher at GEOS Language Academy in downtown Montreal, CBC News has confirmed.

He was a few blocks from the school, at De la Montagne Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard, when he was crushed by the a three-tonne steel plate at around 8:20 a.m. ET.

The downtown Montreal construction site where a plate of metal fell and killed Syed. (Radio-Canada)

Syed was walking under an excavator that was lifting the plate with a chain when it slipped and fell.

Paramedics rushed Syed to hospital in critical condition. A short time later, police confirmed his death.

Quebec's workplace health and safety board is investigating why a safety latch, which would have kept the metal in place, was not fastened.

Syed's family says he was a gentle soul and a well-respected member of the Pakistani community on Montreal's West Island.

Funeral services are set for Tuesday.