Crane topples into Sydney Harbour after wire rope snaps and lands in Luna Park
A crane operating off a barge at Milsons Point has toppled into Sydney Harbour, with stunned witnesses reporting a loud bang, and seeing a cable fly off into nearby Luna Park.
Police are on the scene, and Safework New South Wales confirmed there were no injuries.
One witness said he "thought a bomb had gone off" while others reported seeing a cable go flying through the air and come to rest on Luna Park's iconic smiling entry face.
Luke Bayly saw the incident unfold about 1:00pm.
"I was sitting on the other side of the harbour," he said.
"I heard a huge bang. I looked up and I saw the crane splash into the water.
"It was a huge bang, it startled me, I thought a bomb had gone off."
Witnesses said they heard a loud splash as the machinery fell into the harbour.
Boats on the harbour are being diverted around the area of water where the crane fell.
It was being used for the construction of the Milsons Point wharf expansion and several workers were on the barge at the time of the incident.
Safework NSW said it was launching an investigation, while CFMEU state secretary Brian Parker said it was a stroke of luck that there were no deaths.
"If this happened on another day, it could have been a couple of fatalities," he said.
"We've got a large wire rope that has snapped, with a hook on the end of it, that has ended up right through the entrance of the head at Luna Park."
Barnui Chua, who is visiting from Malaysia, said he was taking a photo of his son when the crane crashed.
"One minute it was there, the next it was gone," he said.

0 Comments