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Crane Accident in Austin Injures at Least 20 People

The authorities in Austin, Texas, said that 16 people had been taken to a hospital after two cranes became entangled at a construction site.

The crane collision in Austin, Texas. Officials cleared the site of most workers in case one or both of the cranes cranes, entangled at the top, collapsed.Credit...Fox 7 Austin, via Facebook Live

Twenty-two people were injured Wednesday morning after two construction cranes became entangled and caused an accident at a work site in Austin, Texas, the authorities said.

Eight ambulances responded to the incident and 16 people were taken to a hospital, according to Cmdr. Mike Benavides, a spokesman for the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. One person had a serious injury and the others had minor ones, he said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Emergency officials received an initial call of a structural collapse around 9:38 a.m. local time, Commander Benavides said. When they arrived they did not find a collapse, he said, but “more of a two-crane collision.”

It was not immediately clear what had led to the collision. The Austin Fire Department and the Austin Police Department were also on the scene, Commander Benavides said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said on Wednesday that it was investigating the incident.

At a brief news conference on the site, Battalion Chief Mark Bridges said that although the bases of the cranes were stable, they were entangled by wires at the top. He said the authorities were trying to keep people away from the site in case of collapse because of, for instance, a strong gust of wind.

“This just happened to be two cranes working, we’re not sure how or why, but they did get entangled,” he said. “Since they are attached at the top, we don’t want the wind to cause further problems.”

He added, “Right now, no one is trapped or injured and we are doing our best to monitor the scene.”

The accident took place at a mixed-use development called the Mueller complex in East Austin, in an area with significant construction.

Brian Dolezal, a spokesman for the Mueller Redevelopment, said in a statement that “we are deeply grateful for the emergency services and crane experts who promptly arrived on the scene.” He added that “the construction site’s contractor is in close contact with the crane operators and city officials to determine the cause of this incident and to ensure the highest safety standards.”

David Montgomery and Azi Paybarah contributed reporting.

Johnny Diaz is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and The Boston Globe. More about Johnny Diaz

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