New York Suspends Crane Construction Until Monday

New York, NY (AHN) - New York City has suspended crane constructions until Monday following the latest crane accident that killed two workers on Friday.

Acting New York Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri ordered the suspension as he ruled out any connection between this and the March 15 incident that killed seven people.

New York plans to spend $4 million to hire 20 specialized engineers to assess and make recommendations in high-risk jobs involving cranes, concrete pouring and excavation.

``They will make recommendations as they see fit,'' LiMandri told Bloomberg, adding, ``Once that goes into effect, we will not wait for a report.''

The New York Fire Department said Friday's incident occurred at about 8:06 a.m. at 354 East 91st St. when the top portion of the crane snapped off and fell. The accident ripped out walls and damaged an apartment building across the street.

New York City Medical Examiner's Office identified the two victims as Donald Leo, 30, and Ramadan Kurtas, 27.

The New York Building Congress, a group of developers, architects and vendors attribute the increase in building accidents to the city's construction boom. New York City's 2009 building forecast is 83 percent higher than last year. The projects are said to be worth some $29 billion.