Terrifying moment New York City crane catches fire and collapses onto street

26 July 2023, 14:15

This is the terrifying moment a crane caught fire in New York City before crashing into a skyscraper sending tonnes of steel plummeting towards pedestrians on the busy pavements below.

Videos posted on social media showed flames bursting from the cab of the crane hundreds of feet above 10th Avenue at 41st Street.

Terrified pedestrians can be seen sprinting away from the scene as the huge structure falls hundreds of feet to the ground.

The crane's arm grazed the top floors of a skyscraper across the street as it fell.

Crane burns as New York authorities respond to scene

There were no immediate reports of injuries from the crane fire and collapse, which happened shortly before 8am local time.

Firefighters stationed on the roof deck of another building used hoses to battle the blaze.

Surrounding streets were closed to traffic.

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The location on Manhattan's West Side is near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and an entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, which carries traffic to and from New Jersey under the Hudson River.