2 Pinoys hurt in UAE crane crash

Two Filipino workers were injured in an accident involving a crane in the United Arab Emirates last weekend, a UAE news site reported Thursday.

But the crane technician and his colleague were among the lucky ones who survived, as three fellow workers were killed in the Oct. 12 incident.

“It could have been worse,” the 41-year-old crane technician, identified only as Roberto, said in aninterview with Gulf News Xpress.

Roberto, who hails from Batangas and is a father of three, said he is thankful he survived. “My family, wife and children still need me,” he said.

He said he has not informed anyone in his family about the crash as they could worry unnecessarily.

Also injured was Ramil Lopez, 32, from Capiz. He suffered a fractured nose, lost four teeth and had to undergo an elbow surgery.

“I lost complete consciousness and came to my senses only in the ambulance... I thank God and the emergency workers he sent to attend to us. This is a second lease of life for me,” Lopez said.

Roberto said the incident occurred at 7 p.m. last Oct. 12, when a crane used to lift building material at a construction site of Emaar’s The Address The BLVD hotel crashed.

It killed three of his colleagues and injured him and four others. Gulf News cited police reports showing the operator lost control of the crane.

The report said the operator and staff of Brookefield Multiplex, which is building the hotel and serviced apartments in downtown Dubai, are in custody.

Emaar Properties launched the 63-story The Address The BLVD project in September 2012 and expects to complete it in early to mid-2015.

Roberto is now confined at Rashid Hospital, where he underwent a surgery Sunday.

“We had raised the crane by four meters since the morning before the incident... The crane was on standby and was steady. We were under the crane inside the mast section, when the incident happened. Our team had several members. The crane operator was sitting on top and the crane was not moving. All of a sudden, I saw part of the crane coming down on us," he said.

"We scampered for cover, but there was no time,” he added.

But he said it could have been worse "if the accident had happened during the day, when more workers are around.” — LBG, GMA News

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