Rescue Crews Scour Rubble Around Crane Collapse
Rescue crews are working feverisly Sunday morning to find possible survivors in the rubble of buildings where a towering crane came crashing down, killing four people.Building Had 9 Open Violations Hospitals On High Alert Raw Video: Building Crushed A total of 24 people were injured in the Saturday afternoon accident on Manhattan's East Side, including four people who were listed in critical condition. Five firefighters suffered minor injuries, fire officials said.At least three people are still unaccounted for, the FDNY said. Reports indicate two of these people are construction workers and the third, a woman, was in a building.The four dead, all believed to be members of Local 15 of the Operating Engineers Union, were identified as Brad Cohen, Aaron Stephens, Anthony Mazza and Wayne Binder.Dozens of people were forced for their homes following the 2:20 p.m. accident Saturday in which a crane split into pieces and came crashing down on four surrounding buildings near 51st Street and Second Avenue. Streets around Midtown are closed while the rescue operations continue.In a press conference Saturday evening, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the accident was "one of the worst the city has had."The 19-story crane on the side of an under-construction skyscraper toppled backwards, damaging three neighboring buildings and completely destroying a fourth. That building, a brownstone, had a bar on the first floor that was not open at the time of the accident.Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the rescue operation is a "painstaking" process as crews try to ensure that the work does not cause further collapse or more damage to the buildings.Rescue crews are using search dogs, thermal-imaging cameras and listening devices to find anyone possibly trapped in the rubble.Meantime, police Sunday have closed East 51st Street between First Avenue and Third Avenue, and Second Avenue between 48th Street and 57th Street as cleanup continues.Witnesses report hearing a massive rumble as the crane split apart Saturday. Neighborhood residents said they had complained to the city several times about the construction at the site, saying crews worked illegal hours and the building was going up too fast.Bloomberg said a stop order had been issued for the skyscraper, but that order had nothing to do with the safety of the crane, which had been inspected. He said the number of violations were "normal" for a project of this size.James Kennelly, the lead partner for the East 51st Development Company, said in a statment, "there are no words to describe the level of devastation we feel today as a result of this tragic event. Our heart and prayers are with the families of those who died in this horrible accident."The Building's Department said Saturday evening skyscraper appears stable.A report from Borough President Scott Stringer's office said the building where the crane was operating had nine open violations, including failure to have a site security manager present and working without a permit.
