Underground chamber near Pan Am Games site remains a mystery

Canadian authorities are still trying to unravel the mystery surrounding an underground chamber discovered near the site of the upcoming Pan Am Games.

“We’re trying to find and establish who built it, why they built it and what were their intentions,” Deputy Chief Mark Saunders said in a statement released on the Toronto Police Service’s website this week.

Police are now asking for the public’s help in gathering more information about the chamber. It was discovered last month in a heavily wooded area near the Rexall Centre, which will host tennis at the Games in July.

The space is 10 feet underground and spans 33 feet, officials said. It contained -- among other things -- food, a gas generator and a sump pump. The entrance was concealed by dirt and a wooden lid.

Despite the potentially troubling nature of the discovery, Saunders said: “There is nothing to suggest criminality. I don’t have a working theory. We’re open. We go with the evidence.”

About 7,600 athletes from across the Americas and the Caribbean are expected to compete in 36 sports in Toronto this summer.