The Fire Department of New York City has confirmed that one person is dead after a crane collapsed in Lower Manhattan during the busy morning rush hour. Three other people were injured - two of them seriously.
Friday's accident occurred in the Tribeca neighborhood, while workers were in the process of securing the crane, because winds were in the 30-kilometer per hour range, according to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Speaking to reporters, de Blasio said he ordered all construction cranes similar to the one that collapsed into a safety position while police investigate the accident.
"So this type of crane is called a crawler crane," de Blasio said. "It is not the largest type of crane, which is called a tower crane, but the crawler cranes in this city that are registered with the Department of Buildings, 376 of them, all potentially active today but not necessarily active today - it all depends on the work site; but, we are instructing right now all 376 crawler cranes to be secured - whatever is the most secure position for them in a wind condition - they've all been ordered to be secured immediately."
The crane landed across an intersection and stretched about two blocks on top of several parked cars, smashing their roofs.
Tribeca is known for its industrial buildings converted into expensive homes and lofts.
Originally written as TriBeCa for Triangle Below Canal Street, the neighborhood was known as an inexpensive residential area for young artists and their families in the late 1960's and 1970's.