New York City crane collapse – live: 12 injured after 16 tonnes of concrete rains down on Manhattan
Follow updates on the fire and collapse of a construction crane in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan
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A construction crane caught fire and partially collapsed in the heart of Manhattan on Wednesday morning, sending commuters fleeing for their lives as rubble rained down onto the streets below.
The fire broke out at around 7.30am ET on a crane on a building under construction along W 41st St and 10th Avenue, close to Hudson Yards.
Bystander footage showed the top of the crane alight before it suddenly collapsed, crashing into a building opposite where it appeared to smash several windows. New Yorkers in the streets below were seen running away from the carnage.
Two construction workers told The Indepednent about the “terrifying” moment the building they were working in was suddenly struck by the crane.
“We’re walking down the stairs and that’s when you hear the boom, boom, boom,” Alexander, a construction worker who only wished to be identified by his first name, told The Independent.
Twelve people – nine civilians and three firefighters – were injured in the collapse, the FDNY told CNN.
All suffered non-life threatening injuries while one of the firefighters suffered chest pains.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that it was “extremely lucky” more people weren’t hurt.
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Follow updates on the fire and collapse of a construction crane in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan
BREAKING NEWS: New York City construction crane catches fire and partially collapses on top of Manhattan high-rise
A construction crane mounted above a building in the Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City caught fire and partially collapsed on Wednesday morning.
Photos and videos taken from the incident show the crane ablaze for several moments before a large portion of it fell into the building next to it.
As it fell people standing beneath the construction crane could be seen running as fragments flew through the air.
Read more here:
Construction crane catches fire and partially collapses on Manhattan high-rise
Videos taken near the crane showed a portion of it falling into a nearby building
What we know so far:
A construction crane caught fire and partially collapsed in the heart of Manhattan on Wednesday morning, sending commuters fleeing for their lives as rubble rained down onto the streets below.
The fire broke out at around 7.30am ET on a crane on a building under construction along W 41st St and 10th Avenue, close to Hudson Yards.
Terrifying bystander footage showed the top of the crane alight before it suddenly collapsed, falling into a building opposite where it appeared to smash several windows.
New Yorkers in the streets below were seen running away from the carnage.
Two victims suffered minor injuries from the collapse.
The area around the incident has now been evacuated as firefighters work to tackle the blaze, shooting water jets from other high rise buildings.
WATCH: Crane catches on fire and collapses in Manhattan
FDNY responds to crane collapse
“FDNY units are currently operating at a crane collapse and fire at 550 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan,” the FDNY tweeted along with footage of the aftermath.
NYPD urges people to avoid area
The NYPD has urged the general public to avoid the area around the crane collapse.
“ADVISORY: Due to a crane collapse, please avoid the area of 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue from West 41 Street to West 42 Street. Please use alternate routes and expect traffic in the area,” the department tweeted.
New York officials give press conference on crane collapse
New York officials including Mayor Eric Adams are holding a press conference on the crane collapse.
Authorities said that the crane caught fire at around 7.25am as it was working on a mixed use building currently under construction aty the corner of 10th Av and 41st Street.
The fire heated and weakened the cable holding the load of the crane, causing about 16 tonnes of concrete and the arm of the crane to go crashing down onto the avenue.
Five people injured in collapse
Five people were injured in the incident, officials confirmed.
Four civilians sustained minor injuries while one firefighter was wounded as they responded to the scene.
The identities of the victims are unknown at this time.
It is unclear whether they were injured as a result of the falling debris.
Where did the crane hit?
New York officials gave this update on the location of the crane collapse.
The building under construction: 550 10th Avenue.
The building hit by the crane: 555 10th Avenue.
How the collapse unfolded:
Officials said that the incident unfolded at around 7.30am ET on Wednesday morning.
A crane operator was operating the construction crane at a mixed use building under construction.
The crane was being used to lift around 16 tonnes of concrete when the operator saw the fire and tried to extinguish it.
Officials said that the operator got overwhelmed by the blaze.
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