One person dead when severe weather causes crane to collapse in Dallas
One person was killed after a crane collapsed onto a downtown Dallas apartment building Sunday afternoon as severe weather hit the metropolitan area. The National Weather Service reported the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area and surrounding cities were under a severe thunderstorm watch on Sunday with high winds and large hail descending upon certain parts.
CBS Dallas/Fort Worth reported one person died after a crane collapsed onto the Elan City Lights building. Six people were taken to local hospitals: two of those people were critical, two were seriously injured and one suffered a minor injury and was quickly discharged.
Jason Evans, a fire rescue spokesman, told The Associated Press late Sunday that first responders had searched accessible apartments and found no one inside. He also said that residents living in apartments that are inaccessible because of damage from the crane were either out at the time or among those hospitalized.
"Multiple resources, to include Fire Operations, Emergency Medical Services, Urban Search and Rescue and Hazardous Materials assets, have been dispatched to the scene to help mitigate the situation," Dallas Fire and Rescue said in a statement earlier Sunday.
AP said building management have decided to evacuated the building and move residents to hotels.
Video of the crane collapse was captured by Dallas residents on Twitter. A photo of the damage was also posted to Twitter by The DFW Scanner, a news blog dedicated to informing the North Texas and Dallas area of emergency and public safety alerts.
The crane collapse comes as strong weather and storms hit the Dallas metropolitan area. The National Weather Service said the region spanning Texas Hill Country and Dallas Forth Worth was experiencing severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds, large hail and even tornadoes.
There had also been been a ground stop for incoming flights at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport due to weather. A video posted on Twitter showed debris flying in the air from a skyscraper under construction and crashing into a nearby building, breaking windows.
