Four dead and four injured after crane collapses on Google campus in Seattle
The Seattle fire chief says those killed were two crane operators and two people inside cars who were crushed by the crane.
Sunday 28 April 2019 09:01, UK
Four people have been killed and four injured after a construction crane collapsed on a street in Seattle.
Seattle Fire Department said three men and one woman were dead by the time firefighters got to the scene, while three of those injured were taken to hospital.
A fourth person was treated at the scene.
Two of the dead were ironworkers who had been inside the crane at the time while the other two fatalities were inside cars.
Six cars were pinned underneath the crane when it collapsed on the new Google Seattle campus near the intersection of Mercer Street and Fairview Avenue shortly after 3pm local time.
Seattle fire chief Harold Scoggins confirmed those who died were two crane operators and two people inside cars.
A 25-year-old mother and her four-month-old baby, as well as a 28-year-old man, are among those injured but their conditions are not believed to be life-threatening.
The names of those who died will not be released until Monday.
Daren Konopaski, the business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302, said he understood the crane was being dismantled when heavy winds buffeted the area.
He told The Seattle Times: "We don't know, but that's what seems to have happened here.
"We are in the process of trying to get information."
An observation station nearby showed winds picked up with gusts of up to 23mph at 3.28pm - around the time the crane fell.
Esther Nelson, a biotech researcher who was working in a building nearby, described the incident as "terrifying".
"The wind was blowing really strong," she said, adding that it appeared the crane had broken in half.
"Half of it was flying down sideways on the building. The other half fell down on the street, crossing both lanes of traffic."
Resident Mark Taylor-Canfield, who was in the area at the time, said: "It became really, really strong wind for a short period of time there.
"It was really gusting and blew my hat off my head and we had a hard time closing the window.
"Right around that time was when we heard the crash."
Officials do not yet know the cause of the collapse, which happened on a busy street.
All lanes have been closed and motorists have been told to avoid the area.
Police spokesperson Eric Greening said all lanes may remain closed until Sunday night.
Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan said her "thoughts and prayers" were with those killed and injured.
Washington state governor Jay Inslee and his wife Trudi also offered their condolences and thanked emergency services for their efforts.
As of January, there were 60 construction cranes in Seattle - more than any other US city.