One person died and two were seriously injured after a crane collapsed in lower Manhattan yesterday morning, the New York City Fire Department said.
The crane, which had been standing in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbourhood, smashed parked cars as it collapsed and covered more than one city block, pictures posted by the fire department on Twitter showed.
One person was treated for minor injuries.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the crane fell as workers were lowering it to a secure position due to strong winds.
De Blasio said that officials were sweeping buildings in the area in search of any gas leaks that may have resulted from the incident.
“Our hearts go out to the families of the individual who has been lost and all those who have been injured,” de Blasio said.
Four buildings were damaged and the three people injured by falling debris as the accident unfolded at 0830 am (1330 GMT), the mayor said.
It was still unclear why the 565-foot (170m) crane fell, De Blasio said, explaining that a crew “had inspected the crane yesterday”.
Several minutes prior to the accident, construction workers had been deployed to divert pedestrians and cars from the area.
“Thank God it was not worse,” De Blasio said, adding that the precautions likely prevented a heavier toll in the area, which is filled with offices and sees heavy traffic during rush hour.
The crane was mounted on a mobile tracked vehicle that also overturned during the accident.
It was replacing generators and the air conditioning system on the roof of the “Western Union” art-deco brick building built in 1930.
An order had been given for the city’s 376 mobile cranes and 43 fixed cranes to be put in a secure position, De Blasio said.
The city’s last serious crane accident occurred in 2008, he added.
The crane belongs to the Bay Crane company and was being operated by Galasso Trucking and Rigging.
New York City has had previous similar construction incidents.
In 2008, a large crane fell on several houses killing seven people and injuring 24 others.