Mayor: "Miracle" no serious injuries in crane collapse

No one was injured in the crane accident in Alphen aan den Rijn on Monday afternoon. Mayor Liesbeth Spies called it a "miracle". One man in a wheelchair was rescued from his homes with injuries to his leg. It was initially assumed that his injury was caused by the crane collapse, but it has now been established that he sustained the injury before the accident. The Urban Search and Rescue Team searched the rubble for victims late into Monday night. The search was called off around 11:00 p.m. with no victims found. The only casualty was a dog. "It is hard to fathom, the devastation is enormous", the mayor said to Omroep West on Tuesday morning. "Our first concern now is that all people can live in their own homes. In Hoofstraat the situation is not yet stable, four properties were hit by the crane. That could have caused damage to surrounding homes." The municipality will focus on clearing the adverse effects of the accident as soon as possible. At 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning the municipality started discussing a plan of action with a team consisting of representatives from the Public Prosecutor, police, fire brigade and other emergency service. The mayor would not speculate on what caused the accident, but said that as a municipality, "We want to get to the bottom of it". "Yesterday the Public Prosecutor launched a criminal investigation. The Dutch Safety Board is also present. The question of how, what and why is in good hands with these institutions."