Unless you’re in a Transformers movie, it’s not every day that giant container cranes crash to the floor.
Due to the significant danger it presents if such an accident occurs, not to mention the financial costs, shipping firms must take great pains to ensure that safety measures are in place.
Unfortunately for one company in Taiwan, not one but two of their massive container cranes collapsed recently.
2 Giant Container Cranes Collapsed at Taiwan Port
If you saw this happening outside you might suspect you were knocked unconscious and secretly transported to a cinema.
VIDEO: Two container cranes in a Taiwan port collapsed dramatically after it was hit by a vessel, leaving two people trapped and one person injured, according to local media. https://t.co/hKKkR3xbSA pic.twitter.com/j1O0uOmPGG
— TODAY (@TODAYonline) June 3, 2021
But unfortunately for residents and workers at the Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, this was a very real, freak accident.
A video that quickly made the rounds on social media showed a crane suddenly collapsing, causing two massive containers to tumble to the ground.
Port workers in the area were seen running for their lives as the containers fell to the ground.
Concerned onlookers gasped, wondering if there were workers trapped underneath the mammoth containers.
Later the authorities discovered that two people were trapped in the wreckage.
According to TVBS, the police in Kaohsiung City were alerted to the accident at the Port of Kaoshiung at around 11 am.
When they arrived, they found two trapped workers and one who had suffered an injury.
Fortunately, they managed to free the trapped workers nearly two hours later using a jib crane.
The 58-year-old who suffered lacerations on his arm and foot was conscious when sent to the hospital.
$28 Million Worth of Products Damaged
To make things worse, it turns out that at least $28 million worth of products were damaged in the accident.
What’s more, additional costs and compensation haven’t been taken into account yet.
TVBS reported that loading and unloading operations at the port have been suspended, and that the port company is urgently coordinating the deployment of loading and unloading in other container yards so import and export won’t be affected.
It is suspected that a freighter had gotten too close to the dock when making its approach to the port. It then crashed into two bridge cranes at the Yangming Shipping Container Yard, causing them to collapse.
In turn, the cranes swept two massive containers in the way down to the floor, causing them to tumble to the ground with a massive crash.
Fortunately, no casualties in the accident have been reported so far.
Featured Image: Facebook (高雄點 Kaohsiung.)