Smoke is visible after a construction crane caught fire on a high-rise building in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The top portion of a construction crane caught fire and collapsed in Manhattan on Wednesday, injuring at least two people and snarling traffic during the morning rush hour, authorities and local media said.
Firefighters and rescue personnel responded to the scene, blocking traffic in the surrounding streets and through the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey during rush hour.
The crane collapsed at about 7:30 a.m. in the area of 10th and 11th avenues and West 41 and 42 street, near the Hudson Yards complex, the New York City Police Department said on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. The NYPD urged people to avoid the area.
One firefighter and one civilian suffered minor injuries, WCBS 880 radio reported.
Video footage of the scene posted on social media showed the top part of the crane snapping and falling to the ground, grazing a nearby building on its way down. At the same time, fire and smoke can be seen rising from the crane's cabin.
(Reporting by Frank McGurty in New York and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago)
