A construction crane on top of an under-construction Google building in downtown Seattle has collapsed killing at least four people on Saturday.
The crane at the South Lake Union project collapsed on Mercer Street near Interstate 5 shortly before 3.30pm and crushed six cars below, according to the Seattle Fire Department.
It’s unclear what caused the crane to collapse.
The Seattle Fire Department confirmed that four people were dead when firefighters reached the scene. Three people are also injured and taken to the hospital. Another person inside a damaged car was treated at the scene and not transported to hospital.
The crane at the South Lake Union project collapsed on Mercer Street near Interstate 5 shortly before 3.30pm and crushed six cars below, according to the Seattle Fire Department
Emergency crews work the scene of a construction crane collapse near the intersection of Mercer Street and Fairview Avenue near Interstate 5 in Seattle
Three people are also injured and taken to the hospital. Another person inside a damaged car was treated at the scene and not transported to hospital
The Seattle Fire Department confirmed that four people were dead when firefighters reached the scene
Emergency crews work at the scene of a construction crane collapse. Two of the vehicles crushed by the crane are seen above
Esther Nelson, a biotech research assistant who was working in a building nearby, saw the crane fall and told the Seattle Times the crane was around eight or nine stories high and broke in half
Mayor Jenny Durkan tweeted: ‘My thoughts and prayers are with those killed and injured’
Tweets from the scene showed the crane collapsed on the street, with vehicles stopped in the vicinity.
Esther Nelson, a biotech research assistant who was working in a building nearby, saw the crane fall and told the Seattle Times the crane was around eight or nine stories high and broke in half.
‘I looked up. The wind was blowing really strong,’ she said.
‘Half of it was flying down sideways on the building,’ she said. ‘The other half fell down on the street, crossing both lanes of traffic.’
Mayor Jenny Durkan tweeted: ‘My thoughts and prayers are with those killed and injured.’
All eastbound and westbound lanes were closed, and motorists were told to avoid the area.
Workers hug at the scene after a construction crane working on a Google building collapsed in downtown Seattle
Construction workers are seen at the site above. All eastbound and westbound lanes were closed, and motorists were told to avoid the area
Firefighters arrive on the scene to assess the damage. It’s unclear what caused the crane at the under-construction Google building to collapse
The crane at the South Lake Union project collapsed on Mercer Street near Interstate 5 shortly before 3.30pm
Tweets from the scene showed the crane collapsed on the street, with vehicles stopped in the vicinity
The damage caused to the under-construction building is seen above
With Amazon and other tech companies increasing their hiring in Seattle, the city has dozens of construction cranes building office towers and apartment buildings
According to GeekWire, Google is due to start moving into the South Lake Union neighborhood this summer.
The campus, which stretches two blocks, has been under construction for nearly two years and is due to be made up of 607,000 sq ft of office space and 149 apartments.
Google first set up a base in Seattle 15 years ago and has roughly 3,400 employees in the region.
With Amazon and other tech companies increasing their hiring in Seattle, the city has dozens of construction cranes building office towers and apartment buildings.
As of January there were about 60 construction cranes in Seattle, more than any other American city.
The aftermath of the tragedy is seen above with shocked onlookers surveying the debris on the street
A Google Maps photo above from August 2018 shows the site under construction above. The campus, which stretches two blocks, has been under construction for nearly two years
Google first set up a base in Seattle 15 years ago and has roughly 3,400 employees in the region. The new base will be made up of 607,000 sq ft of office space and 149 apartments. Pictured above a rendering of how the building is due to look