US: Massive crane collapses in New York City, killing 1

A massive construction crane collapsed in New York City on Friday, killing one person and injuring at least three others in the most populous city in the United States.

According to the reports, one person sitting in a parked car was killed and three people were injured when the crane collapsed in lower Manhattan, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press conference on Friday morning.

The crawler crane collapsed as it was being "lowered into a safe and secure position," De Blasio said. The manufacturer of the crane requires that the crane be moved into a "secure position" if winds top more than 32 km per hour, according to de Blasio.

The victim was described as a 38-year-old male. Two of the three people injured were in serious condition.

Twisted red-colored metal from the runaway crane smashed into parked cars and debris littered streets and sidewalks.

The crane came down shortly before 8:30 am local times, spanning more than an entire length of a city block, officials and witnesses said.

SS