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CatastropheNorway

Deadly crane fall at Norway shopping center

January 6, 2023

A construction crane that collapsed onto a shopping center has caused at least one fatality. The structure toppled over amid high winds.

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A view of the scene after a construction crane fell over Melhustorget shopping mall
Police secured other machinery at the site after the accident amid high windsImage: Gorm Kallestad /NTB Scanpix/AP/picture alliance

Police on Friday said one person had died with least two others injured after a construction crane fell onto a shopping mall in central Norway.

Officials said strong winds appeared to have caused the building apparatus to tumble into the building.

What we know happened

According to Norwegian media, only a small number of people were in the mall when the crane collapsed at 9:17 a.m. local time (0817 UTC/GMT). It damaged the first and second floors of the shopping center.

Firefighters combed the building looking for people, using dogs and a drone in their search of the mall in the town of Melhus, some 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of Trondheim.

One person was found dead with two others injured — one of whom was taken to a hospital emergency room with crush injuries.

The roof inside the shopping mall had caved in, the Tronderbladet newspaper reported.

Norwegian news agency NTB said police were looking into securing other tall machinery nearby, with a second crane on the same building site.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute reported strong winds across Norway on Friday.

The unmanned crane — at least 50 meters (165 feet) high — was at a construction area near the shopping center as part of work to add new shops and apartments to the site.