Part of a crane structure collapsed from the 45th floor of a building under construction, shocking the heart of New York, injuring six people.
It happened this Wednesday morning, around 7.30, in the neighborhood of Hudson Yards, very close to Madison Square Garden: on 10th Avenue and 41st Street.
Several passers-by filmed the exact moment in which the crane cabin caught fire and part of the structure split in two and fell into the void from more than 100 meters high. The videos have already gone viral on social media.
A piece of crane has already fallen into the void from a height of more than 100 meters, in the heart of New York. Photo: EFE
The image shocks. Pedestrians running desperately, while pieces of iron fall from the air. Passing cars honked their horns in the seconds after the collapse as a warning.
According to the first reports provided by The New York Post, the 16-ton block that usually stabilizes the turning point of the crane, suffered a malfunction and fell into the void. As a result of the destabilization, a large part brushed against a skyscraper that was on the opposite sidewalk.
The fire chief who arrived at the scene reported that six people were slightly injured. Two of them were firefighters. "It was a tragedy with a lot of luck because due to the magnitude of the iron that fell, it could have been much worse," he said.
After the incident, the main streets were blocked and traffic diverted through nearby arteries.
Commotion in downtown New York, after the fall of a piece of crane from a 45th floor. Photo: EFE
The site is near the bus station, Port Authority and the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, which passes under the Hudson River and connects Manhattan with New Jersey.
The NYPD this morning urged New Yorkers to avoid the area. "Please use alternate routes and expect traffic in the area," the agency wrote.
With information from EFE
See also