Scene of the Incident
A newly purchased tower crane, only 7 months old, suddenly malfunctioned! The tragedy occurred at around 9:10 AM yesterday, at the construction site of "Yijin Renjia" on the northern extension of Wanma Road in Lin'an City. At the time, five workers were raising the tower crane when it suddenly lost balance, causing the crane body to bend and collapse with a thunderous crash. All five workers perished: three died on the spot, and two who sustained severe injuries later succumbed to their wounds after unsuccessful hospital resuscitation.
Upon hearing the news, the wife of one of the deceased fainted on the spot. The families of the other four victims, none of whom were locals, are currently en route to Lin'an. Following the accident, all construction sites in Lin'an have been temporarily suspended for safety hazard inspections, particularly focusing on transportation, mines, and construction sites. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Scene Description
The crane body was bent, and the crane arm twisted.
"Yijin Renjia" is the fourth phase of the affordable housing project launched by Lin'an City, with a total investment of 245 million yuan. Upon completion, it will provide nearly a thousand units of affordable housing. The entire project is divided into four sections, jointly constructed by Longyi, Zhongying, and Puhang construction companies. The section where the tower crane accident occurred is Section Two, with the construction contractor being Zhejiang Puhang Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. This section has already completed more than half of its main engineering volume.
According to the general project manager Messi Hui, the tower crane involved in the accident was purchased in September of last year. Currently, the building has reached the fifth floor, and the height of the tower crane needs to be increased before further construction can proceed. Since the construction party does not have the qualification to raise the tower crane, the lifting work was personally supervised by senior engineers dispatched from the crane manufacturer—Tongyu Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. of Siyang, Jiangsu. Meanwhile, the two tower crane operators and two day laborers were from the construction party. Other personnel had withdrawn from the construction area during the lifting process. Messi Hui said that the factory sent an experienced senior engineer, "about fifty years old, balding on top." The two day laborers were mainly responsible for tightening screws during the lifting process.
At the scene, the collapsed tower crane showed signs of bending in the body and twisting in the arm due to collision with the ground. During the incident, all five individuals were on the crane. The senior engineer dispatched by the factory and the two day laborers fell to their deaths immediately, while the two tower crane operators—Cao Peng and Ke Xiangli—were rushed to the People's Hospital of Lin'an City. Despite an hour-long rescue effort, their lives could not be saved. Dr. Luo Jianguo, responsible for rescuing Ke Xiangli, recalled: the patient's chest cavity collapsed, multiple ribs fractured, and there was massive bleeding, making revival impossible. Rescue records show that the two injured were brought into the emergency room at 9:46 AM, just half an hour after the incident occurred.
Cause Investigation
Both the operator and the commander were experienced.
In the personnel list of the Puhang Construction Yijin Renjia Project Group, the reporter found Ke Xiangli listed as a tower crane operator. According to another tower crane operator Tang Linguo, the 39-year-old Ke Xiangli was one of the most senior tower crane operators in the company, also serving as the overall supervisor of the company’s tower cranes, with rich operational experience. The other operator Cao Peng was 21 years old, slightly less experienced.
Tang Linguo mentioned that the tower crane involved in the accident was purchased in September of last year and should still be considered new. “At that time, our company bought five tower cranes at once, which made us a big customer, so the factory was very polite. We heard that the engineer assigned this time to command the installation was also one of the best engineers from the factory.” Tang Linguo said that theoretically, the best operator combined with the best commander should not result in operational errors.
“I've been operating tower cranes for over ten years, and I've never seen an accident like this,” Tang Guolin determined that the accident was likely caused by the iron rope connecting the counterweight and the crane arm breaking, leading to imbalance.
“Old Ke was from Anhui Province, with a wife, two children, and two elderly people at home, living in relatively difficult conditions. I called his hometown this morning, and his wife fainted upon hearing the news. His family is already on their way now.” Mr. Jin, responsible for handling Ke Xiangli’s posthumous affairs, stated that the other four victims in the accident were also non-locals, with their families currently en route. (Editor: SN017)