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Dutch crane collapse devastates houses

August 3, 2015

Two cranes have collapsed while renovating a bridge in the Netherlands, devastating nearby houses and reportedly injuring 20 people. The cranes were working on the Queen Juliana Bridge, which dates to the 1950s.

https://p.dw.com/p/1G9Cw
Niederlande Alphen am Rhein Kranunfall
Image: Reuters/R. Fleurbaaij

At least 20 people were reportedly injured on Monday when two cranes working on barges collapsed while renovating a bridge in the western town of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands.

"Two cranes and the stretch of roadway they were carrying fell on five houses in all," firefighter bridgade spokesperson Ton Koot said.

"There are about 20 injured," Koot said, adding that rescue workers were "stabilizing the situation."

Koot said that two teams typically deployed for overseas disaster missions were at the scene.

The brigade spokesperson added that heavy machinery was being moved to site to search for people who may be trapped in houses.

Dutch broadcaster NOS aired amateur footage of the incident, showing the cranes crash onto houses and sending a cloud of dust into the air.

"You see the cloud of dust rise - that is a terrible image and you think, 'Who is under there?' You can't believe what you see," Dick van Smirren told Dutch broadcaster NOS.

The Dutch Safety Board, which investigates accidents, said it would send a team to the site.

ls/jil (AFP, AP, Reuters)