Two men die and a third seriously injured after crane collapses on top of them

Two men have died after a crane collapsed on a building site in Crewe, police said.

Another man, believed to be the crane driver, was taken to Royal Stoke Hospital with serious injuries, which Cheshire Police said were not thought to be life threatening. The occupants of a house damaged by the falling crane were not injured.

Chief Superintendent Matt Welsted said: "This is a truly tragic incident, and our deepest condolences go out to the families affected at this extremely difficult time.

"This is a multi-agency operation and we are working closely with the Health and Safety Executive, Local Authority, and Building Control to establish the full circumstances of the incident, however I would like to reassure members of the public that nobody else is at risk.

"A residential property has been damaged as a result of the incident, the occupants were not injured and were checked over by medical professionals. They have since been relocated while the investigation continues.

"The bodies of those who have sadly lost their lives will shortly be recovered from the scene. I would ask that anybody who may have any footage of the scene, to please respect the families of those involved.

"Any footage that you believe could help officers with their inquiries, please send to our public contact email to allow us to effectively investigate the incident."

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service said its crews had released one casualty, a man believed to be the crane driver, who was taken to hospital by air ambulance following the incident on Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement, Cheshire Police said: "At 4.30pm on Wednesday, police were called to a newbuild site near Morrisons in Dunwoody Way in Crewe following reports of a collapsed crane.

"The crane collapsed trapping three people underneath. Emergency services are working at the scene. One man has been airlifted to hospital with unconfirmed injuries.

"Dunwoody Way is closed at its junction of West Street near to Morrisons. The Health and Safety Executive have been informed."

Firefighters were still at the scene on Wednesday evening and a building inspector had been asked to attend.