Terror unfolds on busy NYC street after crane collapses during morning rush hour
Tenth Avenue was bustling Wednesday morning as New Yorkers hurried to work, ate at cafés or simply took a stroll through Manhattan's famous Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood.
It was a beautiful, sunny, average morning - until 16 tons of concrete fell from the sky and plunged their lives into chaos.
In an explosion that almost sounded like a clap of thunder, a massive crane 40 stories tall caught fire and collapsed, sending debris raining down and smoke billowing into the air.
Terrifying videos shows pedestrians running for their lives, screaming as they flee the calamity.
As it fell, the crane, which was working on the Hudson Yards apartment project at 550 Tenth Avenue, struck a nearby building, 555TEN, a luxury apartment building on opposite side of the street between 40th and 41st streets.
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The debris from the collapsed crane litters Tenth Avenue while emergency services stand behind (Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock)Six people were confirmed injured in the collapse, including two firefighters, and three were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Miraculously, none received life-threatening injuries, according to reports.
Cars had been driving along the road when the construction equipment collapsed. One witness reported that part of the crane fell onto vehicles below, including a taxi and police car, but the information has not yet been confirmed.
Flames erupted on the crane at around 7:30am local time, and an operator on the machine at the time reportedly tried to extinguish it on his own but to no avail. He exited to safety, then called the authorities.
Seconds later, the top of the crane toppled.
Terrified pedestrians flood the street as they watch the crane calamity unfold (AFP via Getty Images)The wails of sirens from emergency services echoed off the skyscrapers, and within a few minutes, fire trucks and police cars flooded onto the surrounding streets.
A five-alarm alert was quickly activated, the highest level of alarm that can be sounded for fires, according to the New York Fire Department. It's reserved for blazes that "can require as many as many as 100 firefighters to extinguish."
Some videos showed firefighters hosing down the blaze from a nearby building while a helicopter observes the scene from above.
Eventually, they were able to extinguish the majority of the blaze, reports said.
Water soaks the smoking crane as firefighters work to put out the blaze (Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock)A nearby hotel was evacuated just before the incident, and 42nd Street is being cleared by authorities.
Heidi Elmore, who was staying in the hotel, tweeted, "Welcome to New York. Crane next to my hotel is on fire and collapsing so we had to evacuate."
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Tenth Avenue is closed until further notice, and additional units and crane experts have been called to the scene. The police are advising people to steer clear of the area and to anticipate traffic nearby.
“You see the debris on the street, this could have been much worse. We were fortunate that this was not a busy time of day,” Mayor Eric Adams told reporters at the scene in a press conference.
Rescue workers drag a gurney to the scene to treat any injured parties (AFP via Getty Images)“We’re also fortunate that first responders responded in such a manner and made the right evaluation of how to look at the fire and crisis we were presented with and came up with [the right solution],” he added.
James Lomma, the owner of Lomma Crane, the logo for which was emblazoned on the side of the machine that collapsed on Wednesday, has previously come under fire for equipment failures.
In 2008, another machine owned by the "Crane King" crushed two workers to death, and he was required to pay the families $96 million.
It is unclear what, if any, repercussions will result from Wednesday's incident.
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