Five hurt as steel rigging from crane crushes taxi

New York: A four-tonne chunk of steel rigging from a construction crane fell 20 storeys to the ground yesterday at a construction site in Manhattan's East Village.

The chunk of steel crashes onto a taxicab, injuring five people, prompting a rescue, and forcing evacuations and street closings lasting into the night.

The taxi driver and his passenger escaped with minor injuries, the authorities said, as the steel pyramid slammed into the vehicle's passenger side.

But three construction workers were nearly knocked unconscious and were trapped in the crane's cab until Emergency Service Unit officers made their way up 20 storeys to free them, authorities said.

Rescuers at the scene shook their heads in astonishment that no more than five people had been hurt.