Melhus, Accident | One person confirmed the death after a crane accident in Melhus

– At 12.05 a dead person was found inside the building. The person has been taken out. Relatives of the missing person have been informed of the find. There is still no confirmed secure ID. However, there are no others missing after the accident, the Trøndelag police sign https://twitter.com/PolitiTrondelag/status/1611335884980322304

The over 50 meter high crane was located on a large construction site next to the shopping center Melhustorget. Around 9.16 on Friday morning, it rolled over the shopping center and smashed several shops. There was strong wind in the area when the accident occurred.

Two people were sent to hospital, and one store employee was not accounted for. It has not been confirmed whether the person found dead was a store employee.

Broken shops

The crane overturned and smashed through the roof of the mall. According to the police, this led to extensive material damage in many shops.

– Both crane elements have fallen over shop roofs on both the first and second floors. There are a number of broken shops and buildings there, said task leader Håkon Flor to TV 2 outside the shopping center earlier on Friday.

It became clear early on that there was no one in the crane, the police told NTB shortly after the accident.

There was a worker in the crane before the accident, but he was ordered down for safety reasons, the contractor company told Dagbladet.

Those involved receive crisis assistance

Evacuated shop employees, customers and construction workers gathered after the accident in the municipality’s town hall, which is located close to the shopping centre.

The municipality has appointed crisis staff and made its resources available. Those involved will be followed up by the municipality’s crisis team, Melhus mayor Jorid Jagtøyen (Sp) tells NTB.

– It is a very special experience to be at work, and then a crane comes through the roof. Fortunately, this happened at a time with little traffic, but there are, for example, a lot of elderly people who come to the shopping center in the morning to drink coffee, says the mayor.

Watch video: The police’s incident leader about what happens at the scene:

Operations leader Håkon Flor speaks to the press after a 50-metre-high crane has toppled over the Melhustorget shopping center in Trøndelag. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB

Distinguished entrepreneur

The company Hent is the contractor on the construction site next to the Melhustorget shopping centre.

– It makes a deep impression on all of us in Hent that the crane accident at Melhus led to the loss of a person’s life, says Hent CEO Jan Jahren in a press release.

– What shouldn’t happen on a construction site has happened anyway. My thoughts go out to the relatives, he says.

The company collaborates with the municipality, health personnel and the shopping center to ensure the best possible care for all those affected throughout the weekend. Hent also states that they have called in a psychologist and nurse through the occupational health service.