Crane collapse in Boston: One dead after a huge structure collapsed in the center of a US city

The crane fell at around 5:40 p.m. local time Saturday in the Government Center parking garage in downtown Boston, United States, officials said

One person has died after a crane collapsed in the center of a US city, triggering a major emergency response.

The huge structure collapsed at around 5:40 p.m. local time Saturday in the Government Center parking garage in downtown Boston, United States, officials said.

Construction workers were on site at the time of the collapse in the parking garage, preparing it for demolition.

The victim, a construction worker, had been on a small crane when he suffered a “significant fall” of “about eight to nine meters”.

The parking garage suffered a partial collapse during the incident, although Boston Police Captain Kelley McCormick said the cause of the collapse and fall has not yet been determined.

Boston Fire Department Commissioner Jack Dempsey said he believes the rest of the building is stable but is awaiting a structural engineer’s evaluation.

He said CBS News that any demolished building is a “dangerous site”.

“Probably more dangerous than if they put them up,” he added.

The area around the parking garage had been closed as a result of the incident, including a subway station and the nearby on and off ramps to Interstate 93.

The area will most likely remain closed to traffic for several hours, causing a “serious traffic delay,” McCormick said.

Meanwhile, structural engineers worked to determine if the collapse caused structural damage to the subway line.

Officials said a passerby who witnessed the collapse was also taken to the hospital.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has called the incident a “horrific tragedy.”

The city will “do everything we can to understand what happened here,” she said.