11.12.2013

Tower crane hits Supermarket

A tower crane has collapsed onto an Aldi supermarket in Bad Homburg, Germany, killing at least one member of the public.

The crane, a Wolkffkran top slewer owned by BBL Cranes, came down around 11:30 this morning hitting the supermarket next to the large office construction site it was working on. The counterweights are said to have fallen near the check out, where the impact killed a 45 year old customer.
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The scene this morning

Seven other people were injured, with two of them considered to be in a serious condition. The crane operator, 58, is among the injured as was the mother of the deceased. The more serious injured were airlifted to hospital.

A search is continuing among the rubble for any other injured persons, but this is being hampered by the instability of the structure. A mobile crane has now lifted the crane clear of the roof.
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The crane operator is among the injured

The construction site has two other tower cranes on the job, both of which are said to be fine. The crane was rented by main contractor Peter Gross, which had sub-contracted the crane's erection and employed a sub-contact crane operator.

At this stage there are no obvious clues as to what caused the collapse, although it appears to have failed close to its base/foundation and the investigation is initially focussing on a loose bolt failing. The crane had been fully inspected and was otherwise in good working order.

A preliminary report on the incident is not expected until January.