RspctFrmCalgary
03-16-2008, 01:49 AM
I saw this on the news earlier, the scene looked absolutely horrific. :eek: :( :(
My thoughts are with those who responded. I was trying to see the numbers on the trucks to see if any of our FDNY members were there but all I was able to spot were 4s.
Crane falls and crushes building in NYC, four dead
Chip East and Claudia Parsons, Reuters
Published: Saturday, March 15, 2008
NEW YORK - A giant crane fell and crushed a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday, killing four construction workers and injuring more than 10 other people, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
He said the crane "basically just flattened" a four-story townhouse with a bar on the lower level and damaged three other buildings. The bar was closed at the time.
Greta Welkhammer, a witness who was passing by on her bicycle, told local TV station NY1 that she looked up and saw the crane "literally split in half."
A view of the site where a crane fell over a building in New York March 15, 2008. A construction crane fell on a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday, killing several people and injuring others, New York City police said. REUTERS/Chip EastView Larger Image View Larger Image
A view of the site where a crane fell over a building in New York March 15, 2008. A construction crane fell on a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday, killing several people and injuring others, New York City police said. REUTERS/Chip East
"I saw the crane crashing, splitting in half," she said, adding that she saw the building it hit "falling like a house of cards."
"Everybody was running, running; it was devastating," she said.
Bloomberg said the crane broke during a routine operation to extend its height by inserting a section and raising the top part of the crane. The bottom part of the crane fell and hit a 19-story building but nobody was injured there.
The top part of the crane, which witnesses said was at least 15 or 20 stories high before the accident, fell and flipped over, hitting and damaging three buildings as it fell and landing on the townhouse that was completely crushed.
Bloomberg said authorities were investigating the cause of the accident and emergency workers were still searching in the rubble for anyone who might be trapped.
He said the four people killed were construction workers, and that several more workers were injured. An additional 10 people were injured, three of them critically, Bloomberg said.
"Fortunately the bar was not open so there was either one or two people in that bar," he said. One person was rescued alive from the bar and workers were searching to check if the second person was in fact in the bar at the time.
"We are still looking for other victims potentially trapped in the rubble," Bloomberg said.
Cars on the street were buried in rubble, with one car flipped over on its side on 50th Street in Midtown Manhattan between 1st and 2nd Avenues.
Local TV station NY1 broadcast an amateur video taken shortly after the collapse that showed the building completely enveloped in what appeared to be a cloud of brownish dust.
My thoughts are with those who responded. I was trying to see the numbers on the trucks to see if any of our FDNY members were there but all I was able to spot were 4s.
Crane falls and crushes building in NYC, four dead
Chip East and Claudia Parsons, Reuters
Published: Saturday, March 15, 2008
NEW YORK - A giant crane fell and crushed a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday, killing four construction workers and injuring more than 10 other people, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
He said the crane "basically just flattened" a four-story townhouse with a bar on the lower level and damaged three other buildings. The bar was closed at the time.
Greta Welkhammer, a witness who was passing by on her bicycle, told local TV station NY1 that she looked up and saw the crane "literally split in half."
A view of the site where a crane fell over a building in New York March 15, 2008. A construction crane fell on a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday, killing several people and injuring others, New York City police said. REUTERS/Chip EastView Larger Image View Larger Image
A view of the site where a crane fell over a building in New York March 15, 2008. A construction crane fell on a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday, killing several people and injuring others, New York City police said. REUTERS/Chip East
"I saw the crane crashing, splitting in half," she said, adding that she saw the building it hit "falling like a house of cards."
"Everybody was running, running; it was devastating," she said.
Bloomberg said the crane broke during a routine operation to extend its height by inserting a section and raising the top part of the crane. The bottom part of the crane fell and hit a 19-story building but nobody was injured there.
The top part of the crane, which witnesses said was at least 15 or 20 stories high before the accident, fell and flipped over, hitting and damaging three buildings as it fell and landing on the townhouse that was completely crushed.
Bloomberg said authorities were investigating the cause of the accident and emergency workers were still searching in the rubble for anyone who might be trapped.
He said the four people killed were construction workers, and that several more workers were injured. An additional 10 people were injured, three of them critically, Bloomberg said.
"Fortunately the bar was not open so there was either one or two people in that bar," he said. One person was rescued alive from the bar and workers were searching to check if the second person was in fact in the bar at the time.
"We are still looking for other victims potentially trapped in the rubble," Bloomberg said.
Cars on the street were buried in rubble, with one car flipped over on its side on 50th Street in Midtown Manhattan between 1st and 2nd Avenues.
Local TV station NY1 broadcast an amateur video taken shortly after the collapse that showed the building completely enveloped in what appeared to be a cloud of brownish dust.