Chaos as crane collapses in NYC
Pastor Dale Morgan
Chaos as crane collapses in NYC
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BBC - At least one person has been killed by the sudden collapse of a
crane in New York's Upper East Side during the morning rush hour.
It crashed into the top floor of a 23-storey block of flats as it fell.
Firefighters have rescued several people from the wreckage, and continue
to search for other possible victims.
It is the second such incident in the city this year - seven people died
in a crane collapse in the same wealthy Manhattan area in March.
This latest collapse took place at the intersection of East 91st Street
and First Avenue.
Justine Elliot, who lives nearby, told the BBC News website that the
crane had been visible from her window:
"I was checking my phone and email at 0805 this morning and heard what
sounded like demolition... I saw the crane come down, missing some cars
on the road. It looked like chaos as fire engines and choppers came to
the scene and people gathered round to look."
"The sound was like a thunderclap. Then, an earthquake," Peter Barba, a
resident, told the Associated Press news agency.
Mr Barba said it appeared that the entire cab came off the crane, and
its main arm hit his building.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on his morning radio show that the
collapse was "unacceptable," and would be investigated.
Resignation
The 15 March crane accident destroyed a four-storey townhouse and
demolished parts of five other buildings.
Contractors were trying to lengthen the crane when a steel support broke.
In April, New York's buildings commissioner resigned, after criticism
over a number of construction accidents.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan in New York says questions are now being asked
about safety issues in Manhattan's construction industry.