Crane topples into Sydney Harbour

A crane operating off a barge at Milsons Point near Luna Park toppled into Sydney Harbour yesterday, with Safework NSW confirming there were no injuries. 

According to ABC News one witness said he "thought a bomb had gone off" while others reported seeing a cable go flying through the air and come to rest on Luna Park's iconic smiling entry face. 

Witnesses said they heard a loud splash as the machinery fell into the harbour with boats on the harbour were diverted around the area of water where the crane fell. 

The crane is currently being used for the construction of the Milsons Point wharf expansion and several workers were on the barge at the time of the incident. 

Safework NSW told the ABC it was launching an investigation, while CFMEU state secretary Brian Parker said it was a stroke of luck that there were no deaths. 

"If this happened on another day, it could have been a couple of fatalities," Parker said. 

"We've got a large wire rope that has snapped, with a hook on the end of it, that has ended up right through the entrance of the head at Luna Park." 

Yesterday’s incident is the second crane collapse in Sydney in recent weeks after a tower crane collapsed into an apartment development in Wolli Creek forcing residents to be evacuated. 

Waterway Constructions who own the crane are currently at the site on Sydney Harbour pending an investigation from SafeWork NSW. 

Parker told the ABC the union would launch its own investigation. 

"We want to have a look at the records, that they've done all the maintenance. We want to see all the issues. We want to talk to all the workers involved."

 Image sourced from Flickr cc: Lenny K Photography