One dead after crane collapses on to cars in Manhattan street

One person has died and two others are seriously injured after a crane collapsed in New York City, smashing the roofs of parked cars.

The crane landed across a road junction and stretched much of a block in the Tribeca neighbourhood of Manhattan, about 10 blocks north of the World Trade Centre. There was damage to the roof of a nearby building, and debris littered the street.

Robert Harold, who works at the Legal Aid Society, said: “It was right outside my window. It was a crashing sound. You could feel the vibration in the building.”

Mr Harold said at least one victim was trapped in a car, and he saw onlookers trying to get the person out. He also saw a person lying motionless in the street.

Nearby buildings were evacuated, and police told people arriving for work that they should go home.

The crane carried the name of the Bay Crane company.

New York crane collapse: 'One dead' after crane falls on cars in Manhattan https://t.co/b5PZruJE29 Picture: @KVSaint pic.twitter.com/XFIbulQLVa

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 5, 2016

A spokesman for Bay Crane said an investigation is under way.