Cranes are flying: Derrick collapses onto 9-story apartment in Russia (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
A construction crane fell onto a 9-story apartment block, home to 250 residents, in the Russian town of Kirov, crushing the balconies on one side of the building from top to bottom, like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster.
The incident happened during heavy gusts of wind as construction
near the building was underway. “When the wind blew, I saw the
crane running on rails about 100 meters in the direction of the
house. As soon as it bumped into the stop, it fell down onto the
9-story house,” a witness said.
Seven cars parked in front of the apartment building were crushed under the boom heap of the collapsed crane. No one was injured in the incident.
The cause of the collapse has yet to be identified, though it is believed that the crane was likely improperly secured, the local Emergency Ministry told Interfax news agency. An investigation into the incident has been launched.
An Internet user who uploaded a video showing the aftermath of the incident noted that the neighboring cranes continued work even after the incident happened.
“Looked like the collapse didn’t scare them,” the witness said.
Ambulances and police reportedly arrived at the site five minutes after the crane collapsed.
