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Massive crane collapses in New York City, killing 1

A general view of a massive construction crane that collapsed on a street in downtown Manhattan is viewed on February 5, 2016 in New York. (AFP photo)

A massive construction crane collapsed in New York City on Friday, killing one person and injuring at least three others in the most populous city in the United States.

One person sitting in a parked car was killed and three people were injured when the crane collapsed in lower Manhattan, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press conference on Friday morning.

The crawler crane collapsed as it was being "lowered into a safe and secure position," De Blasio said. The manufacturer of the crane requires that the crane be moved into a "secure position" if winds top more than 20 miles (32 km) per hour, according to de Blasio.

The victim was described as a 38-year-old male. Two of the three people injured were in serious condition.

Twisted red-colored metal from the runaway crane smashed into parked cars and debris littered streets and sidewalks.

The crane came down shortly before 8:30 am local times, spanning more than an entire length of a city block, officials and witnesses said.

"It was right outside my window," witness Robert Harold told the AP news agency. "It was a crashing sound. You could feel the vibration in the building. I looked out the window and saw it lying in the street."

He said he saw someone trapped in a car and someone lying lifeless in the street.


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