Two Workers Injured After Construction Crane Collapses Onto Busy Site In Downtown Auckland, Emergency Declared

Auckland, New Zealand— A tower crane's boom buckled and crashed onto scaffolding at a downtown Auckland high-rise site at 9:40 a.m. Friday, injuring two workers and sending debris across the street. Fire and Emergency said one man was trapped under twisted metal for 20 minutes. Both were taken to hospital.

The site is on Albert Street where a 28-storey hotel is under construction. Workers said they heard a loud groan before the jib lurched and fell. Concrete panels and steel rods dropped from 15 storeys. Office workers in neighboring buildings reported the ground shaking. A dust cloud covered the block for several minutes.

"We thought it was an earthquake, then we saw the crane folding," a worker on the 10th floor said. He said his crew ran down emergency stairs as alarms rang. The injured men were on the podium level guiding a concrete pour. One suffered leg fractures, the other head and chest injuries. Both were conscious when rescued.

St John said two patients were transported to Auckland City Hospital in moderate to serious condition. WorkSafe NZ inspectors arrived within an hour and issued a prohibition notice closing the entire site. The crane operator was unhurt but was taken for drug and alcohol testing as standard procedure. All other workers were sent home.

The construction company, which has not been named pending family notification, said it is cooperating fully. Initial checks point to a possible hydraulic failure in the luffing mechanism, but investigators will not confirm until the crane is dismantled. The crane had passed its annual certification in March. Its maintenance logs have been seized.

Auckland Council compliance officers are also involved. They said the site had two previous safety notices this year for unsecured loads but no crane-related breaches. The union representing construction workers said it had raised concerns about long hours and rushed lifts on the project. The company denied any pressure to cut corners.

Albert Street was closed between Customs Street and Wyndham Street for six hours while engineers stabilized the wreckage. Buses were diverted. Pedestrians were told to avoid the area as a second crane was brought in to secure the collapsed structure. Engineers will need to remove the boom in sections over the weekend.

WorkSafe said its investigation will examine design, maintenance, operator training and wind conditions at the time. Wind was light at 12 km/h. The site will remain closed until inspectors clear it. Charges are possible if breaches are found.