Page 5 - aruba-today-20190429

A5
U.S. NEWS Monday 29 april 2019
Seattle college says

student was among

those killed by crane

By LISA BAUMANN and RA- scene from his fifth floor ho-
CHEL D'ORO tel room.
SEATTLE (AP) — A college
freshman was among the Fire and police crew mem-
four people killed when a bers work to clear the
construction crane fell from scene where a construc-
a building and crashed tion crane fell from a build-
onto one of Seattle’s busi- ing on Google's new Seat-
est streets, the university tle campus crashing down
said Sunday. onto one of the city's busi-
Sarah Wong, who intend- est streets and killing mul-
ed to major in nursing, was tiple people on Saturday.
in a car when the crane (AP Photo/Frank Kuin)
fell from a building under
construction on Google’s Officials do not yet know
new Seattle campus onto the cause of the collapse.
Mercer Street Saturday af- Washington state labor
ternoon, according to a investigators were at the
statement released by Se- scene of the collapse Sun-
attle Pacific University. day, trying to piece to-
All four had died by the gether what happened,
time firefighters had arrived according to Tim Church,
Saturday afternoon, Fire a spokesman for the Wash-
Chief Harold Scoggins said. ington Department of La-
Two were ironworkers who bor & Industries.
had been inside the crane “It’s a very detailed pro-
while the other two were in- cess,” he said. “It will actu-
side a car, Fire Department ally be months before we
spokesman Lance Garland have anything regarding
said. the cause.”
The names of those who Church said the agency
died are expected to be has formally opened an
released Monday. investigation into four com-
“While we grieve the sud- panies — general contrac-
den and tragic loss of our tor GLY, Northwest Tower
precious student, we draw Crane Service Inc., Omega
comfort from each other,” Rigging and Machinery
SPU’s statement said. “We Moving Inc. and Morrow
ask that the community Equipment Co. LLC. Church
join us in praying for Sarah’s said he didn’t know where
family and friends during the companies are based.
this difficult time.” The tower crane was being
The crane struck six cars disassembled when it fell
and also injured four peo- from the building, accord- Emergency crews work the scene of a construction crane collapse near the intersection of Mer-
ple. ing to Church. cer Street and Fairview Avenue near Interstate 5 in Seattle, on Saturday, April 27, 2019.
Frank Kuin, a Montreal- A stretch of Mercer Street Associated Press
based journalist, was in a remained closed Sunday.
Seattle hotel lobby when Of the injured, a 28-year- buildings than any other
he heard a “big bang” and old man remained hospi- in the United States. As of
felt the floor shake. He said talized in satisfactory con- January, there were about
he initially thought there dition Sunday at Harbor- 60 construction cranes in
had been an earthquake. view Medical Center. A Seattle. On Saturday, Se-
Then he saw motorists leav- mother and her infant were attle Mayor Jenny Durkan
ing their cars on a nearby released from the hospital said the city had a good
offramp and running to- Saturday. The fourth person track record with crane
ward something. was treated at the scene safety but that officials
Kuin followed them around and released. would conduct a review.
a corner and saw a chunk The deadly collapse is sure A line of showers moved
of the crane lying on top of to bring scrutiny about the over Seattle just about the
cars, including three that safety of the dozens of time the crane fell, the
were crushed. cranes that dot the city’s National Weather Service
“To imagine what hap- skyscape. With Amazon, said. An observation sta-
pened to those people Google and other tech tion on nearby Lake Union
who just happened to be companies increasing their showed winds kicked up
driving by was quite shock- hiring in Seattle, the city has with gusts of up to 23 mph
ing,” said Kuin, who later more cranes building of- at 3:28 p.m., just about the
took photographs of the fice towers and apartment time the crane fell.q