NEW YORK (AFP) — Seven people were killed over the weekend when a construction crane collapsed in New York, police said Monday, reporting the discovery of three more bodies in the rubble.
Four construction workers were initially confirmed dead in Saturday's accident, which saw a 60-meter (200-foot) crane collapse and crush an entire residential building and damage several other properties.
A police spokeswoman said Monday that three more bodies had been discovered in the remains of the buildings on Manhattan's east side, but was unable to give their identities pending notification of next of kin.
Reports said that the three included two construction workers and a tourist from Florida who was in New York for Saint Patrick's Day festivities.
Recovery workers used thermal imaging devices and sniffer dogs over the weekend in the search for those missing after the accident, described by city Mayor Michael Bloomberg as "one of the worst the city has had."
The building under construction, a 43-story residential building, had been cited for 13 safety violations, and five of those still needed to be resolved, according to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
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