15.05.2023

Fatal tower crane incident

The jib of a tower crane working on the top of a 31 storey building in Taichung, Taiwan, broke away last week and fell onto a rapid transit train waiting in the station below, killing one and injuring nine others.

The luffing jib tower crane was being dismantled last Wednesday when the incident occurred. So far, we have been unable to ascertain what went wrong.
The jib crashed through the roof of the rapid transit station on the Green Line of the Taichung Metro smashing into one of the passenger carriages, while also causing damage to the front of the train. Part of it also landed in the busy road below the elevated train line.
Please register to see all images

Police said that two elementary school students were among the injured passengers and that their feet were cut by falling glass. The passenger who died was a 52 year old woman who had suffered severe head trauma and showed no vital signs when the emergency services arrived and was declared dead in the ambulance.

The investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing. We will of course update this item if and when we learn more. Also, if any of our local readers have more information, we would be happy to hear from you. Mail[[email protected]]([email protected]).

The following videos provide show the jib falling from the crane.