Crane Collapse Kills 36 in Shanghai Shipyard

Crane Collapse Kills 36 in Shanghai Shipyard

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Thirty-six workers were killed and three others injured when a 600-ton gantry crane collapsed suddenly while being elevated in a Shanghai shipyard at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The injured have been hospitalized and well treated.

The accident occurred at the Hudong Shipbuilding Group Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, the largest metropolis in east China.

Leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council were very much concerned about the accident, and gave important instructions in terms of rescue, relief, and accident investigation.

Huang Ju, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPC and member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, rushed to the scene for rescue work, along with other municipal officials, firemen and medical workers.

Officials from the Office of the Industrial Safety Committee of the State Council, the State Administration for Industrial Safety, Supervision and Management, the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, All-China Federation of Trade Unions, and China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. have also arrived at the scene for relief and investigation.

An accident investigation leading group, organized by the Industrial Safety Committee of the State Council, has been set up according to related regulations of the State Council.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, sources said.

Brief Introduction

It was discovered that the crane that collapsed and killed 28 workers in Shanghai, Tuesday, is China's first and largest gantry crane designed and built in China.

The crane, weighing 5,000 tons itself, is able to lift 600 tons at one time and cover a span as wide as 170 meters.

Before the collapse, the crane was the major piece of hoisting equipment used in the construction of a large-scale boatyard for the Shanghai Hudong Shipbuilding Group Co., Ltd.

The major metallic parts of the crane include the girder, a rigid leg and a flexible leg.

With an installed capacity of 1,902 kilowatt, the crane is electronically controlled using highly advanced equipment, equal to those around the world.