'NY crane collapse kills two'

At least two people are feared dead after a large crane collapsed on Manhattan's Upper East Side during rush-hour.The crane reportedly snapped in half while work was carried out at a construction site on 91st Street, near First Avenue, at around 8.15am.The top of the crane, including the cab, is said to have fallen up to 12 storeys after it hit The Electra apartment block on the opposite side of the street.The crane's operator is believed to have survived the 45ft fall.The Fire Department said it has pulled people out of the wreckage. According to local media, at least one other person suffered critical injuries.Grant Disick, a doctor who was just a few blocks away when the crane collapsed, was one of the first people on the scene to offer assistance and said at least one person was trapped under the rubble.On March 15, a crane collapsed on East 51st Street, killing seven people, including six civilians and a construction worker.In that accident, contractors building a 46-storey condominium near the United Nations were trying to lengthen the crane when a steel support broke. It demolished a four-storey town house and damaged several other buildings.A city inspector resigned after his arrest on charges of falsifying business records and offering a false instrument for filing.In April, the city's buildings commissioner resigned, under fire over a rising number of deadly construction accidents.

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ITN | May 30, 2008

Tags:. .number. .large. .near. .support. .deadly