Bow crane collapse: One dead after crane falls on houses in east London
Written by News on 08/07/2020
One person has died after a crane collapsed on houses in east London, the London Ambulance Service has said.
Two people are also in hospital with head injuries while two others were treated by paramedics at the scene in Compton Close, Bow.
The 20-metre crane came down on Wednesday afternoon, falling on two terraced houses and a block of flats under development, London Fire Brigade said.
Assistant commissioner Graham Ellis had said urban search and rescue crews were undertaking a “complex rescue operation and using specialist equipment to search the properties”.
He added: “This is a multi-agency response and is likely to be a protracted incident.”
Motiur Rahman told Sky News: “The whole roof of my house is gone. It’s all twisted. I’ve had quite a shock.
“It was about 2.30 in the afternoon and I opened the window into the garden and just saw this big red thing coming down, and I ran. I thought, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ I thought the world was ending.”
Pictures show firefighters with ladders propped up against a house with its roof caved in, while aerial images show the twisted crane embedded in the property.
A man working on a nearby construction site said he had seen the crane being erected yesterday.
The crane was being used by Swan Housing Association and NU living.
A spokeswoman said: “Swan Housing Association/NU living is aware of an incident that occurred at our Watts Grove development site in Tower Hamlets, east London, this afternoon.
“A full incident response has been implemented and our staff are on site supporting the emergency services in their response.”
(c) Sky News 2020: Bow crane collapse: One dead after crane falls on houses in east London
