Plummeting crane kills 3 Chinese workers, smashes car Kuala Lumpur

Three Chinese nationals died this morning after a crane dropped nearly 40 meters from a highway under construction onto a car in the Cheras district, Kuala Lumpur, the second fatal accident there this month.

The three killed, all construction workers, were among at least seven people injured when the crane fell at about 8 am from the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway, or SUKE construction site, at Persiaran Alam Damai, according to rescue personnel. Two of the workers were inside the crane; the third was below on the ground. 

“Three people have died, the driver of the car was gravely hurt and admitted to the hospital, while two others are safe,” Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department chief Nordin Pauzi said.

On Monday afternoon, rescue workers were attempting to extract another victim buried under the debris. 

The driver of the car, identified as a Malaysian man, was admitted to Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, or HUKM, for treatment.

Police spokesperson Mohamed Mokhsein said the investigation was ongoing.

“The bodies we have retrieved have been sent to HUKM for post-mortem,” he said.

It was the second deadly accident involving the 32-kilometer SUKE highway this month. The highway, which was said to be 87% finished last month, is expected to connect with the majority of the parts of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.