At least 20 injured as crane, bridge part fall on shops in Alphen a/d Rijn

20150803162554.jpgAt least 20 people were injured in Alphen aan den Rijn when two cranes and a large part of a prefabricated bridge fell on four buildings.

The accident happened at the Juliana bridge, which is undergoing extensive renovation, broadcaster Nos said. The piece of bridge and the cranes hit a shop selling second-hand goods and a shop selling artists’ supplies as well as other properties. It is not clear how many people were in the shops when the crane toppled.

A special search and rescue team has been brought in to look for people under the debris. They were most recently involved in finding earthquake victims in Nepal, the Nos said. Red Cross workers are also on hand to help.

The cranes were mounted on a floating deck and were carrying the bridge part to the location. It is unclear why they fell but an eyewitness said the pontoon wobbled before capsizing.

Accident investigators are also at the scene to begin their investigation.

Nos footage

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