4 die in NY crane collapse

Sunday Mirror, Mar 16, 2008 by KAREN ROCKETT

AT least four people were killed and many others injured when a crane toppled on to an apartment block in New York yesterday.

Amazingly, the crane operator, who fell 300ft, survived. Last night rescuers were searching wrecked flats for occupants buried under the rubble. The 15-storey tall crane fell on to the block from a building site across the road in midtown Manhattan, enveloping the street in a cloud of dust. Rescue workers found the crane operator, who was said to be bleeding heavily from head wounds.

A resident who saw the collapse said: "The crane went over slowly and its jib flew off like a rocket."

A police spokesman said: "A rescue operation is ongoing. We don't know exactly how many casualites there are."

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the crane "basically just flattened" a four-storey townhouse with a bar on the lower level. The bar was closed at the time.