Crane collapses on to newly-built flats in Edinburgh

The arm of the crane collapsed on Tuesday morning

A crane has crashed on to new flats at a housing development.

Eyewitnesses described how they thought there had "been an earthquake" after the machinery landed on the block of flats in Leith.

Emergency crews shut down a large section of Leith Walk following the incident on Tuesday morning.

An investigation into the cause of the incident at Stead's Place has now been launched, the project's developer said.

Eyewitnesses described the sound of the crane collapsing as "like an earthquake"

The arm of the crane is understood to have toppled at Drum Property Group's development shortly before 09:30.

Two people were treated at the scene by ambulance personnel.

Podiatrist Sara Henderson, 49, who works at the NHS clinic opposite, said one worker had a "lucky escape" when the arm "just missed" him as he worked on the roof.

She said: "We just saw the arm collapse, the metal joists folded like matchsticks.

"All of the workers started running. There was one man on the roof who looked like he was going to be caught by the arm, but it narrowly missed him.

"A few of the patients in the waiting room said it sounded like an earthquake.

"All of the metal is twisted and crushed."

A large emergency presence had closed a section of the street

The development by contractor Collab Construction on behalf of Drum, due to be completed in the summer of 2024, will contain 110 "high-quality apartments".

Graeme Veitch, who runs a shop in the Red Sandstone building in front of the site, said his store "physically shook" after the impact.

He said: "There was this almighty thud, it was the strangest thing.

"All you can see is that the crane has toppled. The top of the crane has toppled over as opposed to the whole thing.

"We don't know when we'll get back in, the entire street is closed."

Graeme Veitch said his shop "physically shook" when the crane fell

The road between Leith Walk and Pilrig Street has since reopened and emergency crews have left the scene.

Sub-contractors Falcon Tower Crane Services, who operated the machinery, said they were "not aware of any defect" in the crane.

They added it successfully passed its six-month inspection without any issues less than two weeks ago.

The Health and Safety Executive has been informed of the incident.

A spokesperson for Collab Construction said: "A full investigation is currently underway into the cause of the incident."