Moment huge crane falls from Google building onto traffic killing four after it was spotted swaying dangerously in strong winds

HORRIFYING footage captures the moment a huge crane working on a new Google building collapsed and crashed onto a busy street – leaving four people dead and three others injured. Two crane operators and two drivers were killed – while a mother and her child were among the wounded in the disaster in Seattle. The […]

HORRIFYING footage captures the moment a huge crane working on a new Google building collapsed and crashed onto a busy street – leaving four people dead and three others injured.

Two crane operators and two drivers were killed – while a mother and her child were among the wounded in the disaster in Seattle.

Seattle Washington

The crane begins to fall after swaying in high winds[/caption]

Seattle Washington

The crane breaks in half as it comes crashing down[/caption]

Seattle Washington

It smashed onto a busy street, crushing cars[/caption]

The towering nine-storey structure toppled over during high winds on Saturday afternoon – crushing at least six cars and damaging buildings.

A 25-year-old mother and a baby were rushed to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A 28-year-old man was also treated for serious but non life-threatening injuries.

Dramatic dashcam video caught the terrifying moment the crane began to sway in high winds before it toppled – as traffic rolled past below.

Photos later showed debris and parts of the collapsed crane littering the street – which had been busy with traffic.

Locals reported seeing workers dismantling the crane before the disaster, KING 5 reported.

AP:Associated Press

A crane disaster in Seattle left four dead including two drivers who were crushed in their cars[/caption]

AP:Associated Press

Two crane operators and two drivers were killed – while a mother and her child were among the wounded[/caption]

AP:Associated Press

The crane toppled into a building and collapsed onto the street below at around 3:30pm local time[/caption]

BUILDING NEW GOOGLE OFFICES

It had been working on an office building planned to house a new Google campus and around 150 apartments.

Witness Esther Nelson told the Seattle Times: “It was terrifying. I looked up. The wind was blowing really strong.”

She said the crane – which she put at between eight and nine-storeys tall – then broke in half, with “half of it flying down sideways on the building.”

Ms Nelson added: “The other half fell down on the street, crossing both lanes of traffic.”

All eastbound and westbound lanes were closed on the busy Interstate 5 nearby.

Motorists were told to avoid the area around Mercer Street where the tragedy occurred.

Mayor Jenny Durkan tweeted: “My thoughts and prayers are with those killed and injured.”

The city in Washington state is situated on the US Pacific Northwest.

It has seen dozens of construction cranes building office towers and apartment buildings in recent years as Amazon and other tech companies set up bases there.

As of January there were about 60 construction cranes in Seattle – more than any other American city.

---

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.