Michurino, November 7. A tower crane collapsed at about 10:00 at a multi-storey residential building site in the village of Michurino, Baiterek district, West Kazakhstan region (WKR), and the crane operator died at the scene, the regional police department said.
The site is on Pridorozhnaya Street, 87, next to building 87/1; according to a local outlet, a ten-storey residential building is being built there. Witnesses said a large cloud of dust rose after the crane fell, and residents filmed the aftermath.
One village resident, whose family lives in a private house about 20 metres from the site, told journalists the crane could have fallen on her house. Neighbours are worried about how safety rules are observed on the site and fear it could happen again.
According to a regional outlet, the construction is carried out by the company Biznesplan LLP; the company did not answer journalists’ questions. The police department confirmed the worker’s death and said a pre-trial investigation had been opened: investigators are establishing the causes of the collapse and the circumstances of the death. The police are not releasing other details, invoking Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
What it means: The main question now is why the crane fell: neither the police nor the developer gives a cause. Residents of neighbouring houses are also worried by the site’s location: one resident says her private house stands about 20 metres from it.
What we know now: One person died, the crane operator; his name and age have not been given. The cause of the collapse has not been established, and a pre-trial investigation is under way. The investigation is not releasing details.
Background: West Kazakhstan region is in the north-west of the country, its centre is the city of Uralsk; Baiterek is one of the region’s districts.
