Seattle crane collapse: Student among four killed at new Google campus in US city

Sarah Wong, who planned to major in nursing, died when the crane crashed into car she was in

A student has been named as one of four people killed when a crane fell from a building on Google’s new Seattle campus.

Seattle Pacific University confirmed first year student Sarah Wong was among those who died when the crane crashed onto one of the city’s busiest streets on Saturday afternoon.

Ms Wong, who planned to major in nursing, was in a car on Mercer Street at the time.

The university said in a statement: “While we grieve the sudden and tragic loss of our precious student, we draw comfort from each other.

“We ask that the community join us in praying for Sarah’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

All four people had died by the time firefighters arrived, fire chief Harold Scoggins said.

The King County Medical Examiner’s office said it intended to release the names of the female and three male victims on Monday.

Two were ironworkers who had been inside the crane while the other two were in a car.

The crane struck six cars in total on Saturday, leaving a further four people injured.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said a 25-year-old mother and her four-month-old daughter were in a car that was smashed by the crane on its passenger side but both managed to escape with only minor injuries.

A 28-year-old man remains in hospital, while a fourth injured person was treated at the scene and released.

Frank Kuin, a Montreal-based journalist, was in a Seattle hotel lobby when he heard a “big bang” and felt the floor shake.

He said he initially thought there had been an earthquake but then he saw motorists leaving their cars on a nearby off ramp and running toward something.

Mr Kuin followed them around a corner and saw a chunk of the crane lying on top of cars, including three that were crushed.

“To imagine what happened to those people who just happened to be driving by was quite shocking,” he said.

Officials do not yet know the cause of the collapse of the tower crane, which was being disassembled when it fell.

With Amazon, Google and other tech companies increasing their recruitment in Seattle, the city has more cranes building office towers and apartment buildings than any other in the United States.

As of January, there were about 60 construction cranes in Seattle.

Press Association contributed to this report