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A massive crane at Taiwan's largest port has collapsed after it was hit by a container ship.
One man was injured and two more were trapped in the wreckage after the dramatic incident on Thursday, which was captured in videos shared on social media.
Local police were called at around 11 a.m. to the container yard of Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, at Pier 70 of the Port of Kaohsiung, according to Taiwan's TVBS.
Taiwan English News reported that the crane was struck after the Durban, a 86,679-gross-tonnage container ship hired by Orient Overseas Container Line that was attempting to dock at a nearby pier, sideswiped Yang Ming's 32,720-gross-tonnage ship Yongyang, which was docked at Pier 70.
In a statement to Newsweek, Orient Overseas Container Line said: "Currently, we are maintaining close communications with the ship owner and relevant authorities." It added: "The incident is still being investigated."
Dock workers were seen running away as a stack of shipping containers toppled after the collapse of the crane—which reportedly caused a second crane to go down, according to Taiwan English News.
A 58-year-old dock worker, identified only by his surname Chang, suffered a cut on his right arm and abrasions on one foot. He was treated at Yuan's General Hospital in Kaohsiung. X-rays were taken to check for further injuries after he reported chest discomfort, Taiwan English News reported.
The two men who were trapped inside the collapsed crane, a 33-year-old engineer named only as Lin and a 31-year old engineer identified only as Yang, were rescued from the wreckage around 12:44 p.m. local time, Taiwan News reported.
Rescuers used a crane spanning around 197 feet (60 meters) to reach the men and remove them from the wreckage, reported Taiwan's UDN.
According to witnesses, the two engineers seemed traumatized by the incident but did not appear to be seriously injured, Taiwan News reported.
Newsweek has contacted the Port of Kaohsiung for comment.
With 97 docks and a channel lane of around 11.1 miles (18 kilometers), the Port of Kaohsiung is the world's fourth largest container port, according to Taiwan's tourism bureau.
Another container ship incident has made headlines this week. Sri Lankan authorities are reportedly launching a criminal investigation after a cargo ship on its way to Singapore caught fire off Sri Lanka and tons of chemicals were destroyed or spilled into the Indian Ocean as the containers burned.
The blaze, which began on May 20, burned for 13 days before being extinguished on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reported.
Update 6/3/21 12:30 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comments from Orient Overseas Container Line.
Update 6/4/21 7:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated to correct that the Durban was hired by Orient Overseas Container Line, rather than owned.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more