ELLIOT LAKE, ONT.— Hundreds of people gathered in front of Algo Centre Mall Tuesday evening and stared in hope and awe at the giant mechanical arm that had arrived from Toronto.

Cheers erupted when it moved along a road paved especially for it and started tearing away parts of the wall of the collapsed building, where two people are confirmed to be inside.

Hundreds of people are clinging to hope that their friends and family will come out of the rubble alive, as engineers assess whether the building is stable enough for search dogs and rescue workers to be sent in.

There are still 12 people listed as missing, including 37-year-old Lucie Aylwin, who was working at the lottery kiosk directly underneath the cave-in site.

Rescuers worked frantically throughout the night Tuesday, shoring up the balconies of the building and planning Wednesday’s operations.

The renewed rescue efforts have buoyed the spirits of the community. Glass carboys have become ubiquitous, filled with the change of concerned citizens chipping in to help those affected. Men and women walk around handing out bottles of water.

“Hearing machines going all night was a big inspiration,” said 18-year-old Zack Berube who stayed at the site all night with his mom, Tracy.

“That escalator is still moving, so it’s destined to fail,” said HUSAR spokesperson Bill Neadles. “We are going to help that in a controlled fashion.”

Those trapped in the wreckage have been there since a portion of the ceiling in the Algo Centre Mall caved in on Saturday, sparking an around-the-clock search lead by 40 members of Toronto’s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team.

The team determined on Monday that the mall was dangerously unsafe and could collapse at any minute. At 5 p.m. HUSAR announced the search was over, sending waves of anger throughout the community.

A group of would-be rescuers gathered and formed a plan to barge into the mall themselves, though the OPP later defused the situation without incident.

Premier Dalton McGuinty intervened late Monday, giving the rescue team authority to carry on and prompting the delivery of heavy rescue equipment Tuesday, including a multi-million dollar articulating arm.

“I’m sure if that was your mum or your daughter or your brother and somebody came to you and said how far should we push . . . we’d all say we need to go as far as we possibly can to rescue these individuals,” said McGuinty.

“I think the whole town’s breathing a little easier right now,” said resident Judy Pine.

The massive robotic arm has a range of about 45 metres and will be able to reach into the hole of the mall’s roof. The equipment had to be transported on three trailers, each 30 metres long, and rescue crews worked throughout the day to build a new road required to bring the machine from the street to the site.

Other equipment, including two excavators and a mine rescue robot, was also brought in.

One person trapped inside the rubble is known to be dead, while rescue officials last heard signs of life from the other person around 4 a.m. Monday.

The HUSAR team doctor, when consulted, said there is a “very slim ability for that person to live,” according to Neadles.

Gary Gendron proposed to Aylwin last October. He has been at the rescue site nearly non-stop since the collapse.

While rescuers worked around the clock, locals gathered on the street and in the Anchor Club, a local sober social club that has kept its doors open and coffee brewing since the collapse.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The rescue is foremost in people’s minds but many, especially business owners, are beginning to think of what lies beyond the collapse of one of the town’s more prominent institutions.

The mall is in the heart of the town and housed many municipal services, as well as the city’s library. A huge employer in a town with little remaining industry, it was home to more than 40 businesses and a full-service hotel.

The city of Elliot Lake offered business owners a zero-interest loan of $25,000 for two years should they choose to rebuild.

Residents have complained about the aging mall for years, posting photos of water leaks on Facebook and writing in to the local newspaper. Despite this, the mall was the epicentre of the small town.

“You’re in Dollarama and you can see the racks moving,” said resident Angela Beaulieu. “But I still took my daughters there. This is our life. This is our industry.”

Many in the public questioned the decision to suspend the search and rescue mission Monday, demanding to know why it took a provincial order to resume the search.

“I did say we had reached the end of our mandate,” Neadles said. “We had a plan put in place and what we ran into was an obstacle to that plan.”

Among those hit hardest by the news Monday was Rejean Aylwin, father of Lucie Aylwin.

“They just gave up,” Aylwin told The Canadian Press on Monday.

“It doesn’t make sense. You can’t give up. You’ve got to keep going until you find them.”

Aylwin said he worked in a mine for 35 years and that culture among miners was to never leave someone to perish underground.

The military pledged its full support Tuesday and a liaison officer was dispatched to Elliot Lake to see what role the Forces could play in the rescue.

The heavy urban search and rescue team in Manitoba has been put on standby and is prepared to join the efforts if necessary.