Crane topples, truck falls on its side

CEBU, Philippines - A 50-ton crane toppled while a 10-wheeler truck fell on its side in two separate incidents in Cebu City yesterday.

The crane toppled yesterday morning inside a construction site at Asia Town I.T. Park, Barangay Apas, Cebu City.

Romy Despues, Project Manager of Makati Development Corporation (MDC) faced members of the media to clarify reports regarding the incident.

Minutes after the incident at 11:45 a.m. yesterday, a text message circulated that there was one fatality in the incident.

However, Despues clarified that there was no fatality, adding that the crane operator escaped the ordeal unhurt “Walang katotohanan yan. Buti nalang walang nasaktan,” he said.

Despues said they were conducting their daily meeting when they heard a loud thud outside their office.

Upon checking, the mobile crane was already on its side with its boom at the center of the pit which was dug for the construction of the second building.

He said that there was a clear “miscalculation on the part of the operator and the ground leader” which led to the incident.

“Na over-extend ang boom ng crane. The operator was liable for what happened… he should be the first person to know,” he said.

The crane operator, according to Despues, should have positioned the crane near the pit while he was maneuvering the machine.

Following the incident, MDC promised to intensify their “ground communications” and inspect all of their equipment to prevent the incident from happening again.

MDC has requested for a bigger 180-ton crane to lift and remove the mini crane from the construction site. “Madali lang yan, nag-request na kami ng mas malaking crane,” said Despues.

The construction site has been operating since 2009 where two 26 storey twin towers are expected to rise in the next two years.

Meanwhile, a 10-wheeler truck carrying over 600 sacks of yellow corn fell on its side beneath the Mambaling Flyover yesterday afternoon.

Peter Decano Cejas, 35, the driver of the truck, told The FREEMAN he was not expecting that the truck would topple to its side while plying N. Bacalso Avenue at 2:30 p.m.

He said he has been delivering the said cargoes through the same route from Pier 5 to Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City for Ricor Mills Corporation for years.

Alvin Genon of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management said the cause of the incident was that the truck was extremely overloaded.

“Over loaded kaayo ang truck, instead of 500 ra, 600 plus nga sako sa yellow corn ilang gikarga,” he said. 

The incident however barely affected the traffic in the area after the truck toppled near the sidewalk.

No pedestrians were hurt during the incident aside from three of the truck’s passengers who reportedly sustained minor injuries. (FREEMAN)