A large construction tower crane buckled and collapsed onto a building located right next door to offices The Reykjavík Grapevine.
The Grapevine staff heard a loud creaking sound, followed by two violent shocks to the building. Those who witnessed the collapse of the crane from our kitchen window ushered everyone out of the offices.
In talking to the construction crew from ÞG Verk ehf, who are building a hotel right next to the Grapevine offices, we learned that fortunately no one was injured – amazingly so, as the end of the crane fell onto a spot where people often queue up for the Bæjarins Bestu hot dog stand.
Construction workers quickly sprang into action, cordoning off the area for the sake of public safety. In the meantime, we are resuming operations at some of Reykjavík’s wifi-enabled coffeeshops.
Emergency responders and police are now on the scene. Firefighters the Grapevine spoke with confirmed that there were no injuries. Their next step will be to conduct an investigation, and then use another crane to remove the collapsed crane. They predict that clearing and securing the area will take at least another day.
